The Truth in Snakes
by Simply Abbey
Summary: Edward was told humans didn't exist, which he believed until he found Bella in the werewolf pack meant to be dinner. Now she's been turned into the Summer Vallux and they have correct the balance of the world before it crumbles, all while falling in love.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, nor any of it's preceding books. However, this plot and the original characters are of my creation and mine alone. As an author I am entitled to my rights and by publishing this story of I am acknowledged as a writer. Therefore, any violation of my rights including but not limited to, re-publishing or quoting not confirmed with me, will be reported and appropriate actions will be made.

Chapter One: Aldabella's Deception

It was the moment between anticipation and satisfaction. I knew that at any moment I could allow myself complete happiness, but the game was more fun this way. It made ingesting the slightly repugnant substance bearable if I could have my kicks first. She lay whimpering in the corner, her eyes bright with fear. She had just phased back, the long black hair, almost blue, had receded from her body and now dominated only her scalp. It was matted with her blood, which smelled wonderful but left a bitter, dirty aftertaste in my mouth. I smiled as I leaned forward, licking the blood from the side of her face. She hissed automatically, but was cut off as I brought the side of my hand down abruptly down on her shoulder. Her cries of pain echoed endlessly in my room and I could hear the whir of the camera in the corner of the room as it zoomed in to see her pained expression more clearly. We earned bonus points when we made them scream.

I smiled coldly and reached for her hand, the one not attached to the now shattered shoulder. I laced my fingers through hers and raised my eyes to hers, letting her take in my scarlet eyes once more. She whimpered, then the pleas began again. She seemed to sense that the end was near. Her words were a mix of English and the tongue of her native tribe. She begged for freedom, for mercy, for life. It was all rather pathetic. She knew what I was. They all did. Every one of them, ever since the first time they phased, had been warned that the Cold Ones had no heart to feel with, no sense of right and wrong. They claimed that we were dominated by our desire to feed. And most days, they were right.

I smiled, my razor teeth glinting in the light of the overhead fluorescents. A sharp rap on the door reminded me that my time left was limited. The moment for my next class was approaching. I was to either finish her off or leave her be. If I left her now, she would be bandaged and healed during the day and returned to me later to have another go. If I finished her now, I would be properly satisfied now and they would dispose of her remains after I left. It had been several days since the Upper Class had managed to capture a pack, and I was burning with thirst. I chose satisfaction.

In a blindingly fast movement, I brought my teeth to her neck. I fought the instinct to rip and tear, instead making myself merely pierce the skin. The blood flowed easily from the crescent-shaped wound and I felt her begin to writhe underneath me, her cries turning to feeble, dog-like whimpers. I felt her body begin to shake in a last-ditch attempt to phase and safe her worthless life. I took a long drag from the wound, weakening her. Her body stopped shaking and she lay still, making no movement except the rise and fall of her chest, gradually slowing, and the last gasps of pain her body had the strength left to make.

And then there is was, that moment. Suddenly the blood was sweeter, mixed with something else. It was almost as if her blood had become laced with honey. My body began to tighten in excitement, my lower regions tightening in anticipation. The sweetness began to increase while my pants began suddenly tighter and tighter. And then there is was. The pinnacle of it all. The last drop. I felt the sudden release in my loins and my body shuddered. This, the Elders said, was in ingestion of the soul. It was what every creature of our kind sought as they consumed the vital life force of other beings. We experienced every good memory they had stored in their minds. Every moment they had experienced pleasure in their life, we suddenly underwent. It was the best high in the world.

And it never lasted long enough. As soon as I came down from my euphoria I was smacked in the face by reality. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into yet another pale face. I sighed as I closed her open, unseeing eyes. As much as I loved it at the moment, I could never get used to the aftershock of killing someone. No matter that they were a filthy dog.

I stood up and strode over to my dresser, unbuttoning my pants as I went. I dropped them and my boxers, then pulled new ones from the drawers. As I slid them up, I could hear another knock on my door. I growled slightly, zipping up my pants and moving to open the door. There stood my Attack Basics professor, holding up my evaluation paper.

"Excellent job, Cullen. You would have received full marks, however she wasn't able to re-phase. Poor calculations." His eyes were bright red, like my own. He dressed in a designer suit and tie, not strand of his brilliant red hair out of place. Except for the strand of brunette lying on his shoulder. Since vampire's didn't lose hair, it was safe to assume he had recently had a feast of his own. Plus, the hair was noticeably from one of the dogs that had been captured just this morning.

"Perfect calculations, if you don't mind my saying so Professor." I smiled proudly. "They're more bearable when they're not a dog. Plus, it breaks them more if they're completely defenseless."

My professor looked down on a me, his mouth in a carefully placed frown. His voice came out stern, but I could see amusement shinning ever-so-slightly in his eyes. "You know that's not standard procedure, Cullen. Make sure they've phased before you consume. We want them to know that even when they've got all their weapons at the ready, there's still no hope."

I bowed my head, being sure to show the proper amount of remorse. "My apologies, Professor Markley. I'll perfect my calculations for next time."

He nodded, then held out the crystal goblet. Inside, the golden mixture seemed to be a mix of solid, liquid and gas. I grimaced, but he thrust it into my hands. "Drink it all, Cullen. We don't want you having spasms during class.

I frowned and brought the goblet to my lips, then opened my mouth as wide as possible in order to take it all in one gulp. Our kind wasn't accustomed to consuming anything but blood, but this was necessary for any one in the Under Class. After consuming someone's soul, those at my stage of life would experience phantom-surges from it. It would take several hours for the soul to be completely consumed, therefore we were given the detestable beverage in order to control the "repeat" climaxs. It was a blessing to be spared the embarrassment, since I'd witness many others experience the phantom-surges in class and laughed along with my fellow classmates, but the thing we were forced to consume, l'Apogée d'Annulation, was nothing short of utterly appalling. It slid down one's throat like mucus and left an aftertaste of burnt sunflowers.

Professor Markley smiled in approval, taking the goblet from me. "Speaking of l'Apogée d'Annulation, you'd better get to your French class. You ran over on time, so you have my permission to run to make it on time, just this once," he added, his eyes forcibly reminding me that, under other circumstances, such a thing was prohibited. If our kind went running everywhere, we were bound to cause endless havoc in the narrow corridors of our school. I nodded my agreement, then eagerly stepped past him and shot down the hallway, navigating the corners easily while approaching 25 m/hr without a problem.

It wasn't like we never got to run. The grounds were covered with forests to wind our ways through and fields to race upon. But it was amazing, the wind on one's skin, the closest thing we ever got to flying. I was faster than the others here, so no one ever wanted to race me any more. I never had anyone who could keep up with me, not even the unbelievably strong newborns. So every run I did was solo. And so far, it had yet to bother me.

So easily did I find running that my mind began to wander, allowing my body to take every turn on instinct. This was how I almost had an enormous collision with a professor and student, who were "conversing" at a junction of corridors. I abruptly stopped, slamming my heels into the stone floors. There was a crumbling sound as I broke the stones into pieces with my sudden braking. The professor and student undoubtedly knew I was standing there, but the conversation continued on at it's steady pace of calm voices and screaming hysterics.

"Tell me what you've done to me!"

"My dear boy, control yourself."

"I can't. I can't control anything. I can't control the fucking burning in my throat, I can't control my emotions, I can't control this in-fucking-sane strength. I can't control anything since you made me into a freak!"

"You're not a freak. You're a vampire." The professor spoke this words calmly, but the layer of menace beneath was something you couldn't miss.

"No. I'm not! I'm a human! I'm a human and you've DESTROYED ME!" The boy's face was a mask of hatred and loathing as he stared at the professor, his chest rising and falling out of habit as he boiled with his uncontrollable emotions. I remembered my own time as a newborn. The fear and the feeling of having no control of myself was still sharp in my memory. It was hard for me to not feel bad for the boy.

"Oh for Aldabella's sake, get a grip boy. There's no such thing as humans."

"No!" the boy's voice was shaking the ceiling, causing small fragments to rain down on them. "I'm a human, A HUMAN!"

"EMMETT!" The professor roared.

A huge teenage boy, an Upper Class student, came charging from a nearby door, seizing the boy by his arms. "Come on, Chuck," Emmett said, his voice as powerful and his muscles, "Let's go calm down." Emmett was easily four times the size and strength of the boy, more than a match. He could throw down a fully-grown mountain lion with ease. (And I knew, because I'd been there. We often went out on "hunts" for fun together, but never actually consuming them. Animal blood was a waste of space in our bodies, making us weaker. Instead, we used it for the excitement and a way to pass-time. It was sort of sad, really, that two young vampire friends had to resort of that sort of thing for fun.)

Emmett dragged the screaming boy away, hardly pausing at all as the boy grabbed any passing doorframe to stop his involuntary movement.

"Leave him there until Connor and I arrive," the professor muttered, rubbing his head in aggravation. He turned to me and smiled weakly. "Another newborn. It's a little demoralizing to have to do this. They're always so convinced. You were the worst in your class, if I remember correctly, Mr. Cullen."

I nodded severely. The Elders never explained to us how vampires were brought into existence. Back before humans had become extinct, they were born from the woman's womb, created from sex when a man's sperm can into contact with a woman's egg. And while the Elders made very clear that vampires were not made in this fashion, they never told us exactly HOW we were brought to this world. It was one of the many "Great Truths" one learned when they joined the Upper Class.

However, there was one thing that they did tell us about the process. When we were created, for some untold reason, we all believed we were humans who had been "changed" some how. It was utterly ridiculous, looking back now, but every single one of us had believed it. Whenever we were made and brought here, the Elders had to pull us all aside and individually convince us that we were vampires, not humans. As soon as we were deemed safe, we were allowed to join the rest of our class and begin our lessons. And that was it. As soon as we were release from that room, we were never allowed to say the H-word ever again. It was never to be spoken of, never to be heard. "It is pointless to talk of things that no longer exist," the Elders said. "It is far more important to focus on the tasks at hand."

The Professor's face suddenly turned stern. "But we do not speak of such things anymore, do we Mr. Cullen?" He didn't wait for my response. "Forget what you have witnessed. Remember things that are relevant now. Like your classes. Aren't you supposed to be in French now?"

I nodded. I had stopped being amazed by our professor's abilities to know everything. I'd rarely seen this professor before, he taught the Upper Class students, but he still knew my name and my schedule. Not unusual when it comes to Elders. All of our professors were Elders. However, not all Elders are professors. There were many more elsewhere in the world, governing the older vampires, but we rarely saw them. And there were also the Kings and Queens of the Elders, the Volturi. But you only saw them if you were in the big trouble. And then there was Aldabella, the Fairest of Them All, the supreme vampire in our world. And her, well you only got to see her if you were REALLY lucky. Only the Elders seen her on a weekly basis, and the Upper Class only sees her once, when they graduate from Under to Upper class. And they're not allowed to speak of it.

"Get going," the professor said, "Or I'll have to deduct your free time."

I wasn't about to lose the precious little time that was left for myself. I smiled and raced past the professor, this time paying more attention to who I was about to run into. I could hear him chuckle behind me, then sigh with dread as he went to deal with the newborn. I felt my own body sigh, but for me it was with relief. I remembered those days of denial and was glad they were gone. I, like everyone else knew the truth. The H-word did not exist.

If I'd know the truth at that moment, I would have gone and told that professor to shove his H-word shit right up his marble ass. If I would have known SHE existed, I would have kept running right out on through the doors of that place and never looked back. If I would have known what those shits were going to do to her, I would never have looked back. But, in a strange way, maybe it's best I didn't know. Because then, she and I, we would have never made the sun rain down.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, nor any of it's preceding books. However, this plot and the original characters are of my creation and mine alone. As an author I am entitled to my rights and by publishing this story of I am acknowledged as a writer. Therefore, any violation of my rights including but not limited to, re-publishing or quoting not confirmed with me, will be reported and appropriate actions will be made.

Chapter 2: It

It happened that day. IT. Or more appropriately, she happened. That was the day, the hour, the girl, that would forever change my immortal life. Because that was when everything began to unravel. When I first realized that I'd been lied to. We'd ALL been lied to. And looking back on it, I'm amazing that they had been able to fool us for so long.

We were halfway through our various French verb conjugations when Professor Markley came bursting through the door, his eyes flashing with excitement.

"They've done it!" he yelled to Professor Jordin, our French professor. "They've finally done it! We've got them!"

"Them?" Professor Jordin asked. He gave Markley a stern look, which he returned with a fierce nod. Professor Jordin whooped and then said, "Which ones do you want?"

I looked around at my classmates and saw my own feelings reflected on their faces. Every beautiful eyebrow was raised in total confusion. We were used to our professors speaking cryptically, but this was more bizarre than usual.

"Emmett, of course. We'll give him the Alpha. I've just retrieved him from Johnson. Rosalie Hale is already working on the Beta. And I have someone special for Cullen. The rest of them are going to be dealt with by the Upper Class. We're not going to risk contamination."

The class was suddenly buzzing with low, speedy conversation. The words Alpha and Beta had been spoken, causing us to be more aware of what exactly was going on. The Upper Class had not caught some insignificant nomads this time. They'd found the leaders of a pack. And since the leaders were never far from the pack, they'd probably caught a higher number of the beasts than usual.

"Cullen," Jordin said, turning to address me, "you heard him. Follow Professor Markley."

I stood from my seat and bowed low to Professor Jordin before gathering my books and striding to the door. Markley placed a soft hand on my back, guiding me through the door while murmuring in my ear. "This took a lot of convincing, Cullen. Even the Volturi are in on this one. They'd decided to leave this pack to the Upper Class, but a couple other professors and I were able to convince them to give you a shot at this. Do well, and soon you'll be visiting Aldabella's Sanctuary."

The words brought chills racing up my spine. A visit to Aldabella's Sanctuary meant one thing: graduation. It was what every Under Class student strived for, the reason we even bothered to stay here. Because the Elders had promised us that when you left Aldabella's Sanctuary, you learned every Great Truth of the vampire world. If I had a heart, it would have been racing.

I was led to my room, Markley's hand never leaving my back. When we reached the door, he grabbed my shirt, causing me to halt with my hand on the doorknob. "Don't believe anything she says," he whispered fiercely. "She has been brainwashed by the Moon Children. Don't let her lies fool you."

I nodded and moved to twist the handle, but he stopped me. "This time is different, Edward." He voice sounded…stressed. My eyes widened. "This one…she won't react the same as the others. And she's going to be tempting. But we chose you for this because we knew you were stronger than the others. Don't kill her until you get as much information from her as you can. When she breaks, then you can destroy her." He sighed. "This isn't a usual meal, Edward. This isn't a meal at all, actually. This is to be an interrogation. There's not going to be an evaluation. This is the real deal. And no cameras. The Volturi want this to keep hushed. No evidence. If you feel the temptation becomes to much, knock on the door and we'll release you. We don't want her killed until she's no longer of any use to us. Do you understand?"

I understood what he was saying, but not the situation. Usually they left this stuff to the Upper Class, like Markley had said. So why had he convinced them to have ME do this? Markley smiled. "Because, even if you're in the Under Class, you have more self-control than even the Upper Class have mastered. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Cullen. Now, take a moment to master yourself, and then go in. Remember, no cameras. You're on your own. We won't know if you're in trouble, so it's up to you to know your own limits. Knock if you get stuck. And good luck."

He didn't say anything more. He simply turned on his heel and ran back the way we'd come, leaving me standing there alone by the door. I still wasn't sure what to expect. Markley had said something about her being more tempting than the others. How could anyone find a werewolf tempting?

I shook my head. This was probably all another test. They were probably doing this to everyone. It would be best to just open the door and face whatever they were having me do now. Little had I known, Markley had been right.

I opened the door and immediately saw her. She was sitting in the furthest corner of my room, her knees brought to her chest in the fetal position. Her long, mangled chestnut hair had been obscuring her face, but it fell away as her head snapped up upon my entry to the room. Tears were pouring down her cheeks and the barest of whimpers escaped her mouth. Her body became rigid with anticipation. She rolled her weight forward so she was on her knees and she lifted her hair back completely to look at me more fully.

There were several things I noticed right away. First, the smell in the air of that room was like nothing I had ever experience in my entire existence. My throat was set to fire in longing and I felt myself being drawn forward. The next thing I noticed was that her eyes were the most intense shade of brown I had ever seen in my life, increased by the torn blue dress that had just enough fabric left for her to keep the important things covered. She also didn't begin to shake the minute I walked in the room, phasing like most of them would at the sight of one of my kind. It was supposed to be pure instinct. And the last thing I noticed was, instead of anger or fear, her eyes held a look of amazement, as if she had never seen something quite like me in her entire life.

And then it happened. One small thing happened and I was instantly hooked on this girl.

She spoke.

"You're…beautiful," she gasped, as if what she had just deduced was the most mind-baffling thing ever. "They…they never said you were supposed to be beautiful. They always said you were filthy, disgusting blood-suckers. They made you sound like awful beasts, but you're not. You're…." she trailed off. A blush rose to her cheeks, causing venom to pool in my mouth.

If I hadn't been living on a constant diet of fresh blood, that one thing would have been my undoing. For example, if I'd been living on a diet of, lets say, mountain lion blood, I never would have been able to resist tasting that neck, draining her of the blood that rose to those wondrous cheeks. But, as it was, my strength held. Instead of setting myself on her, I replied.

"Well, they've got the blood-sucking part right. But I've yet to see a filthy vampire. We tend to enjoy keeping ourselves groomed." To emphasize my point, I pulled my lips back into a charming smile, allowing myself to dazzle her momentarily. She blinked blindly for a moment, but then seemed to realize something.

"You're going to kill me, aren't you?" she whispered. She barely made a sound but I heard her words clearly.

"Not yet," I answered smoothly. "First, you're going to tell me why you're here."

She shrugged. "I don't know. One minute, Jake and I were roasting marshmallows with his friends, the next it was all fur and growling. Jake tried to get me out of the way, but one of them grabbed him. Something hard, like a piece of stone, his me on the back of the head. I woke up here, in your room."

I snorted, taking in her appearance. She had several scratches on her arms and his forehead was marred by a large bump. "It doesn't look like that. It looks like you've been struggling recently. Giving the other's trouble?"

"What?" she asked. Her eyes were genuinely confused, I noticed. It seemed as if she had truly believed that I wouldn't notice.

"You're arms," I said, pointing to the appendages. "If those had been from last night, they would have healed by now. Your kind heals quickly. Did you not think I would notice?"

"My kind?" She wrinkled in brow in thought. Then, all of the sudden, her eyebrows shot up on her forehead and her mouth dropped into an "O".

"Holy crow," she gasped. "You think I'm a _werewolf_? Is that why you brought me here?"

I snorted. "Well, you're obviously not a vampire," I said, taking in her frail body. "What else could you possibly be?"

She shook her head. "So it's true. They really do brain-wash you here. I don't believe it." She looked me in the eyes and to my astonishment, there was pity in them. "An entire school being trained to be killing machines. Carlisle was right."

"Carlisle?" I felt my mouth drop in bewilderment. "You know about _Carlisle_? But that's a legend OUR school started. Some Upper Class student trying to start trouble. I didn't think the dogs had heard it."

Then she laughed. She _laughed_ at me. It wasn't a vampire laugh, quiet and tinkling, but a bright, real laugh. "Carlisle's not a legend. He's very real. I've met him. And Alice and Jasper too. They've made a treaty with Jake and his pack. They work together now. Esme cooks for them some days too."

I growled low. If this was true, then that explained why Markley was so excited about capturing this particular pack. We'd all been told that the Carlisle thing was a legend, made up to make the Elders' lives more difficult when it came to convincing the newborns that humans were extinct. The legend was that a vampire named Carlisle had once lived with the Volturi, been one of them. But then one day he left them, electing to drink animal blood instead of the blood from the werewolves. He thought that the Volturi were wrong, that the werewolves and vampires _could _overcome centuries of rivalry and prosper together. He even began to spread rumors to the vampire community that humans were alive and that Aldabella had been lying to everyone to keep the vampires ignorant and under her control. The Volturi had been set to destroy Carlisle, but Aldabella had laughed and allowed him to live, claiming no one would listen to a mad man. And supposedly, that was it. Carlisle became shunned by vampires and was forced to live in exile along with the only three vampires in the world he had been able to convince: his wife, Esme, and the two young vampires Alice and Jasper. The Elders had always told us that this story was a joke, a lie. But if Carlisle did exist, and working with this particular pack, then it would make sense that the Elders would be eager to destroy them. Aldabella only allowed Carlisle to live as long as he had no power. If he was gaining power through the werewolves, it made sense that they would want to destroy them. Aldabella hated to end of any vampire's existence, so she would obviously opt to have the werewolves who were giving him that power killed rather than Carlisle himself.

Carlisle had lain low for a while, making himself scarce. The only time his name was ever spoken was in the hushed whispers of Upper Class students. Students who, now that Edward thought about it, didn't really have a proper face. In Edward's mind their faces were a blur. This was odd, because vampire memories were impeccable. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized there were people he'd once associated with Carlisle's name that no longer had a face in his memories.

That is, except for two faces. The faces of Alice and Jasper, the two vampires Bella had just mentioned. They were Upper Class students and friends of Emmett and Rosalie's, making them friends of mine. They had spoken of Carlisle one day, and then the next they were gone. No one had any idea of where they had gone…until now. Their names were a sharp slap to my face, and hearing Bella say their names ignited a fire within me.

I took a step forward and seized her by the arm and dragging her to her feet. I instantly felt that her bones were softer than most werewolves, and her skin was smoother than anything I had ever felt in my entire life. I could feel her pulse under my hands. She let out a yelp of pain, but my quick reflexes allowed me to immediately loosen my grip to avoid breaking any of her bones. I leaned forward to look closer into her eyes. Her scent assaulted my nose and I fought the urge to take a bite at her neck. Instead, I focused on those swirling pools of chocolate. They contained none of the animal wildness I saw in the eyes of the werewolves. They were different somehow. Not hard like a vampires, not vicious like a dog's. They were soft and meaningful. I detected something beneath them that I'd never seen in the eyes of someone looking at me. Awe. There was awe in her eyes. I awed her, dazzled her, amazed her. And that's all it took. That one look, and I suddenly had to know more.

"Who are you?" I gasped.

She grimaced. "You first."

The formal reply was instantaneous. "Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, Under Class Student 536." I then gave her an expectant look, eager to learn her name, her story, what had landed her right in the middle of war between two species.

She smiled. "Well, Edward, my name is Isabella Marie Swan, also known as Bella. And I'm a human."

Those four words were the words that brought it all raining down. Everything. Those were also the words that had doomed her. As soon as she said those words, the beats of her heart were numbered. The average heart beats 200 beats per minute at maximum. This meant that her heart had roughly less than 72,000 beats left. If I would have known that, I would have spent those next 6 hours with my ear pressed to her chest, never moving until it finally stopped. But, unlike someone I would soon know, I wasn't gifted with seeing the future. Instead, I assisted in blindly guiding her to doom.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, nor any of it's preceding books. However, this plot and the original characters are of my creation and mine alone. As an author I am entitled to my rights and by publishing this story of I am acknowledged as a writer. Therefore, any violation of my rights including but not limited to, re-publishing or quoting not confirmed with me, will be reported and appropriate actions will be made._

_Forewarning: I assume since you all saw that this was rated M and read the summary which said "smut" that you're all aware there will be explicit content. This chapter contains some of it, but I swear to you that it will get far better/worse depending on your view point. From this point on you can consider yourself warned that there WILL be explicit content from this point forth. For those of you who enjoy the smut, I promise there will be a lot more to come. For those of you who don't care for it, please feel free to skip over parts containing it or cease reading from this point one._

_You've all be warned! : )_

Chapter 3: Desire

I've never really thought of myself as a monster. But at that moment in my room, when she said that she expected a hideous beast, I began to realize what we really were. We were machines. Machines created with one idea in mind: Death. Destruction. Doom. We were being created in order to destroy. I had been walking with shadows for all my immortal life, without even realizing it. So, of course, when something very real and solid, something built of _light_, appeared I had no response for it. I was walking blindly from that point on.

"No," I gasped, leaping away from her. I felt as if something was crawling inside of me, scratching at my body with a desperate need for freedom. My hand automatically released her arm, shoving her away. The force sent her flying into the wall. There was a sickening thud against the wall as her delicate skull came into contact with it, but I didn't even notice it. My vision was suddenly covered in a red film. I felt a snarl rip its way up my throat, lashing out into the air.

She gasped, sliding to the floor, clutching her head. Her eyes became unfocused and I heard her whimper. I growled and bent down to seize her again, bringing her face up to face mine. Her smell was intoxicating at this point, her neck so close to my mouth. The only reason my anger didn't cause me to my thrust my teeth into her neck was the dire need to impress upon her the fact that she was wrong, so wrong. The H-word did not exist. The H-word did not exist. The H-word did not exist….

"I'm sorry," she said. "You've been lied to. It's all a lie. But if you listen to me, I can help you. We can save my friends and yours. Carlisle…even he didn't dream-"

I gasped and then, without warning, I shook her hard. Just once, in order to emphasize the words spewing from my mouth. "Lies! The lies are all yours! You come in here, you and your pack, trying to knock our feet from under us. Aldabella is too wise and powerful for you or your Carlisle. We shall help her rid the world of Moon Children like yourself and destroy any of our kind who oppose her, for it is her will."

"Aldabella," she hissed, her breathing ragged. "Have you even met that witch?"

It took everything in my power not to throw her will all my strength at the tile-covered cement floor. "You DARE speak her name! Only those who are deemed worthy are allowed to look upon her and only those of darkness may speak of her. You, wolf girl, are not of darkness. Your tongue fouls her name."

"She's foul enough on her own," Isabella spat. "She's a dirty little wench, stealing power from those who might challenge her and killing anyone who poses a threat. She's more awful than you could even begin to understand."

In that split second, I could sense her. I could feel her pulse pounding deep within her, faster and faster as her heart raced with adrenaline. I could feel her shaking under my touch, getting ready to phase. A smile broke out on my face. I slapped her on the cheek, not hard enough to make her head spin all the way around, but hard enough that red blood went flying from her mouth as her head flew to her right. Then I dropped her, stepping back in preparation of her transformation into a beast I would happily destroy.

But nothing. She knelt on the floor, spitting blood onto the bleached tiles and gasping for breath. She was still shaking, but I suddenly realized that, while part of it was anger, the other part was weakness. She wasn't going to phase. Which was strange. Any beast, no matter how much self-control they possessed, would have phased after receiving that sort of disgraceful blow from a vampire.

She gasped, raising her head to look at me. A small amount of blood was deposited in the corner of her mouth and her eyes went in and out of focus. And then there it was. A blood-covered smile. And it was still beautiful.

"You've been walking with shadows, Edward Cullen," she wheezed. "And whether or not you want to believe it, you've been lied to. Someday, one of your kind will figure it out. And this school, the Volturi, even your precious Aldabella, will fall."

I'd had more than enough. This was more self-restraint than a normal vampire was expected to have. I was done. Markley could give her to someone else to deal with. As far as I was concerned, little Isabella Swan was a mental case beyond me. I took two strides to the door and reached with my closed fist to knock on it when her weak voice drifted to me again.

"You're going to die."

I stopped immediately, my fist in mid-motion to strike the door. I turned to look at her. She had both hands on my bed, using it as a support to pull herself to her feet. She gasped as her knees caved in and she fell to the floor again. Her knee grazed the sharp edge of the metal legs of the bed frame on her way on. The additional wound only tested me more. The fact that her blood appealed to me so much was completely repulsive. I'd never felt so _drawn_ to a wolf's blood before. This was beyond my past experiences. It didn't help that when her knee hit the ground, the impact irritated the wound, causing the blood the gush out suddenly for a moment.

"What do you mean I'm going to die?" I hissed through tightly clenched teeth.

"They're supposed to destroy anyone who might get in the way." She made a second attempt at standing. It was feeble, but a little more successful than her previous attempt. Before she collapsed she was able to angle her body to land on the bed instead of the floor. "That's what this school is for. They eliminate anyone who may be just _too_ powerful to be allowed to live, and then they teach the survivors how to kill the other obstacles. My friends."

I took a step forward. "And how, pray tell, would they 'eliminate' one of us without the rest of us knowing?"

"I don't know," she said, dropping her head to look into her lap. "But what have to find out. And quickly. Before…" She looked up at me, her dark chocolate eyes burning with a message I couldn't grasp. "I won't let them do that to him."

"Too who?" I was beginning to lose my patience with all the riddles. "Isabella, be frank or I'm killing you now instead of later."

"Bella, please," she spat, her voice almost venomous for a moment. And then a small smile appeared on her face. "Do you know Emmett McCarty?" the question came out a desperate whisper.

I shrugged. "Yeah. We're friends." I said it in the most nonchalant way possible. I was surprised at how fluid it sounded, because inside I was boiling for information.

"He's my brother." It came out like a sigh, nearly a weep.

I rolled my eyes. "That's impossible."

"No it's not!" her head shot up indignantly, her voice suddenly bright with shock. "He may not be my full brother, but he's been the best half-brother to me, until they stole him 3 years ago. I _knew _he was here!" The smile that had been on her face returned, suddenly triumphant. "I knew it. Carlisle said if he _was_ here, I shouldn't have much hope. But maybe, even if he can't be human with me again, maybe I can still save him from becoming a monster."

The red film that was coating my eyes grew darker, intensifying my vision beyond even a vampire's normal sight. I could see every fleck of gold and burgundy in her deep brown eyes. I could see her veins throbbing with blood. "No. He can't be your brother. He's a vampire, and you're a werewolf."

Her expression was suddenly angry as she heaved in a big breath and screamed, "I already told you, I'm not a vampire _or_ a werewolf. I'm a hum-"

"NO!" I roared.

And that was it.

I lunged at her, grasping her by the shoulders. I hauled her to her feet, bringing her face close to mine.

"The H-word does not exist," I whispered into her face. She cringed, and then I brought my teeth to her neck.

The overwhelming anger that had brought my mouth to her neck vanished the instant her blood touched my lips. It was as if she were a drug. Not in the sense that I needed large, endless amounts of her quickly, but more like it was morphine. Her blood calmed me, ridding my vision of the red film that had been covering it. I was under control again. I understood what I was doing. I was able to take slow, languorous draws from the wound I had created at the base of her neck, right where the artery pulsed. I savored the taste, taking token sips, using my venom to make the wound less significant. It was like sucking through a very small straw. I had registered that fact that her blood was far too gratifying for me to kill her. I needed to preserve her, just so I could get this diminutive fix whenever I pleased.

I knew in that moment her story was confirmed, that she was not what I or anyone else had suspected. My subconscious refused to believe she was human, but I suddenly agreed that there was no way she was one of those hideous beasts. As I stood there, keeping her body pressed close to mine, I realized that everything would be different from this point on. And I would never let her die.

That was not the only thing that surprised me, though. The blood I was ingesting was doing weird and wonderful things to my body. It was as if I was drinking in another soul, although I was forever away from the last drop. It set a fire inside my frozen body, rising up to overwhelm me. I felt my manhood begin to react to the sudden fire. And I began to grow fearful.

I wasn't fully aware of her reaction to this consumption of her blood until I unexpectedly felt a slight pressure on my hips and an increase in the weight my body was bearing. She had dived onto me, wrapping her legs around my waist, and had positioned her hand on the back of my head. Her fingers were tangled in my hair as she used her measly human strength to attempt to pull my lips closer to her neck.

"Yes…." The word was like a song, pouring from her lips and to my ears. I felt pressure on my groin as she began to grind into me, pressing her hot center against my growing erection.

"Oh my god," she gasped. Her fingers left my hair and went racing to my neck to scratch my skin there with her nails. "That feels…good." The words were spoken in a half-pleasured, half-amazed tone.

I was amazed as well. This was turning into a very strange experience for me.

"Edward…." My name was like a symphony piece the way it flowed from her mouth like that. I gasped and felt my lips leave her neck to let the sound of it leave my mouth. My gasp drove her closer to my body. Whether or it was because I was distracted and disoriented or the sudden strength the moment had given her, I couldn't be sure, but somehow she had managed to use all of her strength to seize my hair again and pull my lips up to her.

It was like kissing a hot coal.

As if her hands were branding irons on my head.

Her entire body seemed to be a living flame, consuming me in its fire.

And I would burn happily.

My lips seemed to move by design again hers. I felt the sharp edge of one of my teeth graze her lips, creating a wound no bigger than a paper cut.

And it was the most erotic feeling in the world.

My nerves were ardent as the man side of me groaned from the softness of her lips and the vampire side of me relished the taste of her blood again. She was avariciously clutching at my hair and I instantly felt the need to give her everything. Anything she desired would be hers. Anything.

As long as she kept kissing me, she would never want again.

My hands were desperate on her hips, seizing any bit of her I could to pull her closer. And then one began to wander. Up, up, up it went. It crept over her torn-to-tatters dress until it met an incline. And then it went up a little more. Soft mounds gave easily under my touch and the hardening bud of her nipple pressing against my palm. She gasped and arched her back, pressing her chest harder into my hand.

I was nearing my breaking point. The vampiric draw to continue sucking blood from her, bit by bit, was being overwhelmed by my sudden and desperate need for her body. My hand left her breast and began to travel downward, down toward a new scent that was driving me wild. I could smell her arousal and the heat from her center was increasing. As my hand moved down I used my nail to cut a long slit in her dress from her hip down, making sure that access would be easy. I then allowed my hand to touch the bare skin of her thigh.

Forget flame, her body was like magma.

Her thigh was the softest, most blistering thing I had ever touched. Her muscles twitched under my cool hands as I ran my fingers up towards the place of her body that was literally weeping for attention.

I growled, took a step forward and deposited her on the bed. A small amount of air whooshed from her body, reminding me to be careful. As passionate as her body was, it was also more fragile that I wished it to be.

I crawled backwards toward her feet and placed my nose against her shin, kissing her ankle. She moaned and I began to make my ascent. I ran my nose along the inside of her legs, slowly and torturously. She seemed near tears as my nose hit the inside of her thigh. That vampire part of me took over again for a minute and I allowed my teeth to cut her skin again. I allowed the blood to pool for a moment and then placed my lips to the wound, taking 3 quick draws from it. She gasped and another wave of juices left her body to assist in dampening her already soaked undergarments.

I smiled and ran my tongue over the wound, allowing it to heal before pushing along upward again. That was, until my nose hit a barrier. Her underwear was a pale-blue lace to match her dress. The area that touched her most secretive parts was a darker blue, saturated with the results of her pleasure. I hissed and used both of my hands to rip the fabric from her body. She sound of it seemed to please her. She let out a mew of approval.

I smirked and threw the trashed garment to the side, then proceeded to continue my nose's previous path. I allowed myself to become buried in her curls before letting out a breath of hot air. Another wave of pleasure went through her, soaking her again. I let my right hand run up the inside of her leg before bringing it to the spot where her let met the right of her body. She gasped. And then she began to beg.

"Sing for me," I demanded, my nose still in her curls. "Sing for me and I swear you'll have everything you desire."

She nodded, gasping and still pleading.

Who was I to deny a cherub as beautiful as her? I brought my hand swiftly to her center, allowing a single finger to enter her.

There was no way to describe the sounds she made. If angels really did sing in heaven, that's what they would sound like. She gasped and mewed and groaned, her fingers grasping desperately at the cloth covering the bed.

Curious, I inserted another finger. She groaned, her hands suddenly going from the sheets to my hair, begging.

"Please, please, please," she moaned.

So I complied. I allowed my hand to begin pumping, becoming coated with the juices that flowed from her eager center. I took my thumb and placed it on her clit, rubbing it in slow circles while I pumped into her.

"Edward," she gasped, pulling on my hair. And I knew what she wanted. I used my free hand to my body up so our faces were on equal levels. I brought my face to hers and kissed her desperately while I continued to pleasure her. Her breathing was ragged, her pulse jumping under her skin. I couldn't help it. I let my lips wander from hers, kissing her neck and sucking gently on the soft velvet of her skin. I let my teeth pierce her one last time, her life pulsing from her and into my mouth.

And that was all it took. She screamed, her song gushing from her mouth as her walls suddenly clenched down on me with surprising force. There was a tide-wave as her climax brought more and more juices in saturate my hand. When her body finally relaxed, I brought my hand from her and wiped it on the bed, a smile on my lips. I took one last draw from the wound on her neck before allowing my tongue to coax over it and heal her one last time.

And then I felt a fumbling on my pelvis and realized that her small hands were trying to undo my pants. I smiled and went to help her when a sudden bang on the door snapped me out of my lust-filled haze.

"Cullen!" Markley shouted. "Is everything alright in there?"

I groaned, reluctantly pulling my body from hers. I got off the bed and went to the mirror to examine myself. No evidence but my messed hair and my slowly fading erection. I looked back to examine Bella, only to see that she had curled into a small ball and was sleeping already, apparently exhausted by pleasure that I had no doubt was new to her. I smiled slightly before turning to open the door.

Markley was standing there, his face a mix of anticipation and excitement.

"So," he demanded, his voice gruff.

"She's asleep," I said simply.

"And?"

"Well…," I shrugged, "I didn't kill her."

Markley let out a sudden, barking laugh. "Good. That's good news. But did you discover anything?"

I debated for a moment. I knew I should tell Markley about her babbling about the H-word, but for some reason, I couldn't get the words to leave my mouth. So I just shrugged again and said, "Sort of."

Markley smiled wide and grabbed me by the shoulder. "Good. Very good. Then I have someone who wants to see you." He dragged me from the doorway and pulled the door shut, then proceeded to haul me down the hallway.

"Who?" I asked, struggling to keep up with him and his solid grip on my shoulder pushed me along.

He turned and gave me a smile that one could consider to be almost sinister. "The Volturi."

That was my first time dancing with fire. I could never have guessed that there was more to come. I can't describe the way it felt to be passionate with her. The blood made the experience all the more erotic. But that was all going to fade soon. I would only see her one more time before they destroyed her. If I would have known what they were going to do, I would never have let him touch me. I would have stayed my distance and returned to her immediately and continued where we left off. I would have ravaged her till the end of her days. But, as it was, that didn't happen. Because, you see, thanks to me, she would never die in peace.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, nor any of it's preceding books. However, this plot and the original characters are of my creation and mine alone. As an author I am entitled to my rights and by publishing this story of I am acknowledged as a writer. Therefore, any violation of my rights including but not limited to, re-publishing or quoting not confirmed with me, will be reported and appropriate actions will be made._

Chapter 4: Tales

If my mind thought it had an overwhelming amount of questions then, it was about to be proven sorely mistaken. That little proclamation of the existence of humans Bella had made was nothing compared to the overload of information that was about to assault me when I returned to the room. But, at the present, it had been important for me to focus on what was at hand: my first meeting with the Volturi. I still stand by what I've been saying ever since that day. I should have run. I should have picked up Bella and ran away with her, never looking back. But I went to that stupid chamber, and I gave them everything they needed to destroy her…to destroy me. To destroy us.

It was probably one of the strangest moments of my life, walking into that room. The Elders were old in years, but they looked the same age they were when they had turned, roughly between the ages of 17-30. But these vampires, they were _old_, in years and in their physical state.

The leader, the one seated in the middle seat, seemed to have the most serene manner, a look of all-knowing on his face. The man on his right was sitting stiffly in his chair, his body poised for attack at every moment. His eyes constantly darted left and right, daring all of the surrounding vampires to DARE challenge him to a fight. The other looked…well, bored. He examined his fingernails, their flawlessness apparently more interesting than their newest guest.

There were two similarities between them all, however. Firstly, their skin seemed thin, like fine layer of frost you'd find on a wilting lily. And their eyes, though constantly shifting and aware, were milky and clouded. However, I doubted that they couldn't stand against anything that stood in their way.

"Edward!" the middle one said, standing to his feet. He smiled and stretched his arms wide, as if he meant to embrace me. "We're so glad you could join us!"

I frowned, confused. The Volturi didn't usually make visits unless it was an extreme circumstance. They usually remained in Volterra, keeping to themselves unless they were needed to deal out punishment. Their time was otherwise spent in the presence of Aldabella, courting her and keeping her amused. I fought the urge to bow before them in awe, knowing that they were of the few who were allowed in the beautiful vampire's presence. Instead, I remained stiffly standing, waiting for the explanations I so desired.

"I suppose you are very confused as to why we have asked you hear, Edward," the man said, the smile on his face faltering slightly. "I'm afraid we come on an ill note. Aldabella sees a rebellion on the way, and she sees it from this school."

"What sort of rebellion, sir?" I asked, nodding my head in proper respect.

The old vampire shook his head. "It is not our place to say, Edward. Aldabella hasn't revealed such information to even us yet. She does so of her own time, for reasons we can't begin to understand, of course."

I bowed my head completely then. "Of course," I echoed.

The man smiled. "But we're forgetting our manners. I am Aro. And these are my brothers, Caius and Marcus," he said, pointing to each of the brothers respectively. Caius had white hair, almost as white as his skin, that fell to his shoulders and seemed to move with an unnatural breeze in it. Marcus had hair longer than his Caius'. It was jet-black and framed his sad face in a lovely and menacing sort of way. "And we," Aro said, his own hair black hair fluttering behind him, "are very curious to hear what you have learned from the wolf-girl."

I smiled and responded simply, "She's quite unstable."

Caius let our a barking laugh, reminding me slightly of Markley. "I have no problems believing that. They all are. Filthy beasts," he added in a mutter, his pale face drawing into a mask of disgust.

Aro raised his to his brother. "Be calm, Caius. You will be able to seek your revenge soon." Then he turned to me. "If you don't mind, dear boy, I would like to see what you have learned."

"See?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aro smiled. "I, Edward, have a very special gift. I can read your thoughts, see your memories, with a simple touch. Every thought you've ever had." Aro smiled. "It's quite painless, I assure you."

Gifts. They were another thing that came with being an Elder. When it came time to graduate, some Under Class students would be seen to have potential gifts. When they visited Aldabella, their gifts were freed and then became Upper Students and were taught how to use their gift. If they moved on the become Elders, they were allowed to keep their gift. If not, Aldabella gently retrieved it and the vampire was allowed to live a normal life on the outside. The Volture, obviously, were far beyond the status of Elders. It made sense that the three leaders of the would have special gifts

Aro took three steps toward me, then raised his palm. And he waited. He allowed me to take the final steps. Gave me the choice. I had no doubt that if I chose not to advance to him, he would gain the knowledge by more forceful means. But by giving me this chance, he was able to maintain the pleasantries. So I took, one, two, three, four steps until we stood a mere 6 inches from one another. Then I raised my right hand and allowed our hands to merge.

It was the strangest sensation I had felt yet in my five years as a vampire. I felt everything being read back all of the sudden, in reverse order. It started with how I had felt walking into that chamber and seen the three of them, to my thoughts walking from my room to the room I was in now. We then relived me in my room, smiling at Bella as she slept, then backwards to the sudden, intense feelings we both had been experiencing, dying slowly as we moved back in time. Then there was my sudden anger as she babbled on about Emmett followed by my sudden interest when I walked into my room and seen her curled into a ball in the corner. As soon as we reached the point during which I had first entered my room, darkness was suddenly upon me and Aro pulled his hand away.

I gasped as sharp bolts of electricity began to pulse up my air, the apparent aftermath of Aro's powers. I rubbed my hand, trying to cure it of the currents, but it did nothing, if not make it worse. I frowned, but just as I was beginning to voice a complain, the pain began to dissipate. Instead of whining, I lifted my head to look at Aro.

His eyebrows were brought together in concentration. "It seems that the situation is graver than Aldabella first thought," he said, turning from me. He walked towards his brothers, moving as if he was floating. "However, we cannot make an accurate judgment until we know more." He reached his seat and turned to sit in it. His eyes seemed weary for a moment, but they became hard and focused as soon as his eyes rose to meet mine. "You will return to her. Continue to pump her for information. By whatever means necessary, Edward. Whatever means. Judging by your memories, the wolf-girl is already beginning to trust you."

"Please sir," I started. "I'd wondered…well she seemed so convinced that-"

"I know what you fear, Edward," Aro interrupted with a wise smile. "Do not forget, I have seen all that you have. And my judgment is not far from yours. She is clearly not a fully-developed wolf, and is far from a vampire. But she is not what she claims, dear boy. Do not forget what you've been taught. The H-word does not exist."

I nodded obediently. "The H-word does not exist."

Aro regarded me coldly then. "I have seen the doubt in your mind, Cullen." His tone was sudden harsh and reprimanding. "Do not continue with that train of thought. It will only lead to trouble."

'_And death'_, his voice seemed to add.

The possibility of it sent shivers running down my spine, reminding me of Bella's words earlier.

"_You're going to die."_

I nodded again, bowing as I did so. Aro spoke again then. "You may leave, Edward. My brothers and I have much to discuss."

I rose from my bow and turned on my heels, desperate to be out of that godforsaken room as fast as possible.

She was the first thing I noticed when I opened the door. Her brilliant brown hair shimmered in the light, a deep contrast to the stark white of my room. The sheets were resting on her shoulders, but as she shifted they fell, revealing her shoulders and chest. Her breasts rose and fell in her sleep, beautiful hills of wonder. I realized that I never touched the skin there, and instantly began to wonder what it would feel like.

And then I noticed it. Something that had me boiling with anger. Her dress. That tattered dress was gone. Instead, she was wearing a baby-blue shirt of soft, thin cotton, and there was a pattern of a lacy bra underneath the shirt, which was irritating since she had been without one before. I assumed that, since the dress was gone, there was a new pair of pants on her as well. I hissed and raced across the room, tearing the sheets from her body. Yes, there it was. Someone had placed a pair of loose, black sweatpants on her, although they appeared to be a bit too long in the legs. The drawstring at the waist was tightened all the way, but not tied. I growled and, without thinking, stretched the waistband of the sweatpants to loosen them. I then pulled them down slightly to peek at what I hoped would be bare skin and brown curls. But no, there it was. Someone had put fresh undergarments on her too. I moaned at the loss. I looked around the room, seeing no sign of the torn blue underwear or her dress. I had really hoped to keep the underwear around, just for a little reminder.

I looked down at Bella again. She was shivering slightly, curling into a ball. I felt a sudden wave of sorrow, seeing her so cold. I reached down and righted her pants, tightening the drawstring so the pants fit snuggly at her waist again. I then pulled the sheets up around her and tucked them into her side. The urge overcame me then. I couldn't have stopped it if I had wanted to. I bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. The chill must have registered to her, but I saw a smile of satisfaction touch her face. But then she let out one of those ghastly shivers again. I turned around to raise the thermostat of the room, only to see a beautiful blonde standing in my way.

It was Rosalie Hale. She was easily the most beautiful vampire in the Upper Class, maybe in the world, aside from, I was certain, Aldabella. She had long, golden hair that fell to the middle of her back. Her body could be described as statuesque and the red color of her eyes only made her that much more beautiful. She had, at first, been rather offended by my lack of response to her beauty. However, she quickly overcame it when she found love in my friend, Emmett. She was funny at times, and no one knew mechanics like her, but she could also be unbearably bitter. Some of it could be that her twin, Jasper (twins were a rarity in vampires. There was only 3 other known sets in America), had run away from the school shortly before Edward came, and rumor had it he was "involved" with another runaway and had joined up with Carlisle, a rumor Bella had confirmed for me hours ago. Although, I was never going to tell Rosalie about that. At least not now. A lot of the guys had teased her about it at first, but Emmett had put them in their place rather effectively. I had witness the wrath of Emmet and had no intention of being put on the receiving end of it

"Jealous, Edward?" She asked, flashing her perfect teeth in a mind-blowing smile. Her voice was like a thousand harps sounding in perfect harmony. "If it makes you feel any better, she dressed herself. They're my clothes. Ruined now. I'll never get the damn smell out. But they were too small anyway," she added with a shrug.

I shook my head. "Rose, the smell…"

Rosalie frowned then. "Yes, I did. She smells very…unusual. Freesias? It's the sort of thing I'd like for a room freshener." She smiled again then. "I'll trade you. I've got a different girl up in my room, but she reeks something awful. Got a nasty attitude too. I would make Bella very- Okay then never mind!" Her gears shifted quickly as I hissed at her. She raised her palms in a gesture of peace. "Just a thought."

I gave one last growl and then pulled the chair from my desk and permitted myself to collapse in it. I placed my elbows on my knees and allowed my head to drop, cradled in my palms.

"Did you talk to her at all, Rose?" I asked. She didn't respond right away, so I lifted my head a little to look at her. There was a deep frown in her face and she appeared to be in deep thought.

"Yes, I did. She was awake when I came in, nearly beside herself, demanding to know where you'd gone. Well, I told her you'd been called away but you'd be back soon. In the meantime, I insisted she'd better get herself dressed. Her dress was in tatters…Did you do that?" She asked suddenly, turning to look at me with a mischievous look. I shook my head.

"No. She came in that way."

Rosalie frowned. "Damn shame. It looked like it was designer too." She shrugged and continued. "But when she started to dress, she kept demanding to know where you were. Had you'd gone to _her, _she kept asking. I told her, 'I don't know who _she_ is, but where he is happens to be none of your business'. And then I said, 'you know, your should be happy with your simple werewolf boys. Vampire men are always so dramatic. I'm lucky to have my Emmett'. And as soon as I said his name she went crazy. She was like a fucking hurricane, jumping around, grabbing me, _demanding_ to see him. Claimed she was his sister or some shit like that. I wouldn't have believed any of it, except for I remember Emmett saying something about a sister once."

I looked at her, a confused look on my face. She smiled sadly. "He's always said, even though he can't really remember what she looks like, he misses her. I asked him if he knew whether or not she'd gone to Carlisle, like…Jasper," his name seemed to stick to her tongue, as if she had difficulty saying it, but she kept right on going after it, not allowing it to break her pace, "but he said no, she was his little sister, one of his residual memories from before he was born into our world. When I told him that there was no way that was possible, he got really angry and said he knew that. I was stupid. I kept going, saying she was just one of those false memories from when we're "born", like thinking we're humans, but he insisted that she was real, that he was going to find her. And then, all of the sudden, he got really quiet, didn't say anything for a while. And then it was time for class and he was fine. He hasn't mentioned her since then, about a week ago."

Rosalie frowned and turned to look at Bella, who was beginning to snore. I felt a small smile fall into place on my face, but Rosalie continued to frown. She turned to me a few seconds later, her eyes fearful.

"Edward," my name came out like a fearful gasp, "you don't really think that it's her, do you? Emmett's sister?"

I shook my head, the smile fading. "I don't know, Rosalie. When I met with the Volturi today, I got this awful feeling like there was something they were hiding from us. We'll have to be careful from now on. I'm going to try to figure this out."

"Maybe if Emmett saw her, maybe if she got to see him…" Rosalie's voice faded, but the meaning was clear.

"Give me a few days to figure this out, Rose," I said softly. "Let me ask her a few more questions before we bring Emmett in here and start something that may be too big to stop. Just…just give me a few more days with her."

Rosalie nodded. "I won't say anything to Emmett yet, Edward. But I'm giving you two days." She shook her head. "You should have seen the look on his face when he talked about her, Edward. It was like his whole world was missing. If there's any way I can give some of that back to him…" She looked at Bella again and sighed. "Whatever you do, Edward Cullen, keep her safe. If she's the key to Emmett being happy again…."

I nodded. "Don't worry Rose. I have no intention of letting anything happen to her."

"Edward?"

My dead-heart soared. I whispered softly, "She's awake," and then tore to Bella's bedside.

"Bella?" I gasped. "Are you?"

She sat up a little. I quickly reached for the pillows behind her head, positioning them for her to lean up against while remaining upright. She fell back against them with a small sob, clutching her head.

"I'm a little sore," she gasped. She looked up at me, her eyes echoing with pain. If my dead body would have allowed it, I would have wept at the sight. She forced her face into a smile again, only increasing my need to cry. "But don't worry, Edward. I'm okay."

"I'm sorry, Bella," I gasped.

She shook her head, which was apparently a mistake. She groaned, clutching her at it. "I'm sorry, Edward. It's my fault. Carlisle warned me to be careful about what I said, but I let my mouth get ahead of me. I really just didn't think it would be this bad…."

"Bella," I said firmly, taking her head carefully between my hands. "I need you to tell me everything you can. About Carlisle. About Emmett. About Alice and Jasper…." I turned around to toss Rosalie an apologetic look, but she was gone. She must have slipped out after Bella had woken up. I turned back to Bella, my eyes pleading with her.

Bella nodded. "I'll tell you as much as I can, Edward. But some things even I don't understand."

I nodded. "That's all I'm asking."

She bit her lip then. "Edward," she said softly, "I can't tell you any of this until I'm sure that you're going to listen. It's very important."

I nodded again. "We're going to figure this out. And…maybe later…you can see Emmett."

Her face glowed at the mention of her brother's name, causing me to be momentarily jealous. I wanted her to be desperate for _me_ in that way, and the urge was strange. And the even stranger part was, when I remembered Rosalie talking about how Bella had been demanding to see me, I felt a small beast inside of me purr with satisfaction. In that moment, I wanted to place my lips on hers and bury myself inside of her and never come out. It was a feeling I reveled in.

Bella took a deep breath, and then began to speak, her voice soft as a whisper of wind. "I live in Forks, Washington with my father. He's friends with a man named Billy Black, who lives on the La Push Reservation. Billy is a part of the Quileute tribe that lives on the reservation. His son, Jacob and I, along with his two sisters and Emmett, used to play together all the time when we were younger. We all grew up, though, and Emmett and Jacob's sisters moved away to college. That was when we lost track of Emmett. When my step-mom called the school, they said that Emmett had dropped out. And when my dad hired a P.I. to find him, they couldn't find a single thing. Nothing."

Bella's eyes were tearing again. I froze for a moment, not sure what to do. I looked into her eyes and, after seeing the tears threatening to spill, instinct seemed to take over. I crawled into my bed beside her, bringing her into my arms. The sheets between us kept my cool skin away from her, but I was able to hold her close. The feel of her heart beating beneath her chest and the smell of her was intoxicating. It took obscene amounts of willpower to keep from biting into her neck. She was stiff at first, surprised by my sudden affection, but she relaxed into my hold. With her hot skin pressed against my thin shirt, the only thing keeping her blood in her body was my desperate need to hear the rest of her story, as well as my promise to Rosalie and myself to keep her safe. But the little vixen, she pressed her cheek into my shoulder, exposing her neck, as if she wanted me to take a bite. To be honest, I had been surprised that she hadn't flinched away from me in fear after my little tasting session with her.

The memory made me groan. I needed to get a hold on the situation, and fast.

"Bella," I gasped, "please continue."

She sat up, looking my in the eyes. "Does it make you uncomfortable, me being this close?" she asked.

"A little," I admitted. "I'm tempted more than anything."

She smiled and laid her head back down on my shoulder. "I liked it when you bit me," she said simply. "It felt…amazing."

I sighed. "Bella, please. We can discuss…_that_…later." I said the last bit as almost a stutter, unable to come up with a word to describe our earlier…explorations.

She nodded and continued. "It was just Jacob and me for a while. We went to different schools, but our dads counted on us to entertain each other while they were on their fishing trips. But things began to change after a while. When we got to high school, things got more complicated. Jacob got some new friends, some guys from the reservation. I liked them," she added hastily, "but I always enjoyed our time alone. The two of us. But then, when it was just the two of us, Jake started to act…different. We always used to hold hands, but it was suddenly different. He would look at me weird, with this look in his eyes that made butterflies flutter in my stomach. I thought he was going to ask me out one day, and I would have said yes, but then he got sick…." She trailed off then, and it was good timing because I used those few moments to gather my restraint. I hated the idea of another guy touching her, of her looking at anyone but me with eyes like that.

When she started up again, her voice was choked with emotion. "He didn't got to school the rest of the week, his friends said. When I asked where he was, they wouldn't say. All they said was that things were going to change, and maybe it would be best if I found some new friends off the reservation. I'd never been so angry. I called every day, and his dad always would say he was out with friends and he'd call me back, but Jake never did. So I kept calling and calling…until one day Billy just said flat out that Jake didn't want to be friends anymore. I couldn't believe it. So I drove down to La Push and cornered Jake. He was with all his buddies. I told him to tell me what was going on or I was done. At first, I didn't think it would work, since Billy had already said Jake didn't want to be friends anymore. But then Jake nodded, and then he told me. They all did. About what they were. And what they fought against." Bella smiled. "And then they took me to meet him."

"Him?" I asked, although I could already make a fair guess as to who "He" was.

"Carlisle." She said his name like it was a song. Not in the way a lover would refer to someone, but like a girl would refer to her best friend. "The one vampire that they would work with, and only because they were on the same side. Carlisle told me about his time with the Volturi, what he had discovered."

"And what did Carlisle think he had discovered?" I asked, my eyebrows raised in skepticism.

"An army," she said softly. "He found out that the Volturi were breeding an army. That's what your school is for. And all the others. They're the training grounds for the Volturi's army. Carlisle helped them without knowing it for years. He would help the three of them examine the Under Class, help them decide who was strong and who was not. He thought that they were trying to search out strong vampires to make their guard stronger, to keep the gradually growing rowdiness of the vampires at bay. But really…he was helping them decide who would die."

"Die?" I asked. "Why would they want to kill off other vampires? Aren't we becoming extinct because of the wolves?"

Bella shook her head. "Is that what they're saying then? Is that why they have you killing them?" When I nodded she sighed in exasperation. "No, Edward. The vampires are just fine. There's more and more of your every day. The Volturi, they don't collect you. They breed you."

I snorted then, unable to contain myself. "How can they breed us? Vampire's aren't made."

She smiled grimly then. "Are you sure?"

I had no response for that. So she continued.

"When they examined the vampires, they would determine their potential gifts. Eleazer, another vampire friend of theirs, could _see_ what their gifts would be. Based on that, they would determine who was the strongest of the bunch they were examining. Carlisle never found out what happened to them after that, but that wasn't his job. Felix and Demetri, two of the stronger members of the guard, were in charge of them after that. But one day, Carlisle overheard Felix and Aro discussing when they were going to dispose of the new group of students who had been decided to be too strong. They two they had selected to eliminate were Mary Brandon, or Alice, and Jasper Hale. Carlisle realized immediately what was happening. He went to Alice and Jasper's rooms to collect them, and that night the three of them left. Since then, Carlisle's been working with the wolves to find a way to stop the Volturi, before too many more innocent vampires are killed and before the Volturi can make an army big enough to do serious damage."

My head was pounding, not something common in vampires. Everything began to grow blurry as my lightning-fast mind worked to process this new information. "Why would the wolves want to save vampires?" I asked, feeling slightly triumphant as I found the loophole in her story. Everything seemed to grow clearer. If her story was faulty, it would make this all untrue, meaning that nothing I believe in would be questioned. Except for my judgment when it came to my emotions about females.

Bella shook her head. "What do you think the Volturi are breeding an army for?" When I shrugged, she explained. "They want to destroy the only other race growing faster than them."

"And who's that?"

She took a deep breath, seeming to brace herself. "Humans."

I instantly felt the need to squeeze her until every drop of blood leaked her body, just for saying the word. But her anticipation made her pulse pound, bringing me quickly to my senses. I relaxed then, and she did too. I remembered that I had promised to keep an open mind. And I had. But all the things I had let in sent me reeling every time I allowed myself to ponder it.

"So you believe me?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

I sighed. "We'll see. I have a lot to think about."

Bella nodded. "Of course." There was silence, and then, "Can I see Emmett now?" she asked suddenly, her voice weak.

I shook my head and moved to stand. "Later, Bella. I need to find Rosalie now. I need time to…sort this out."

"No!" she gasped, her hands suddenly clawing at my shirt. "Don't leave! I don't want to have the nightmare again!"

I looked down at her. Her eyes were bright with fear, making me wonder what sort of horrors her mind had created to help her deal with everything that had happened to her in the past 24 hours. I sighed and fell back on the bed. She immediately wrapped herself around me, crawling to get as close as possible. Her arms wrapped around my waist as she buried her face in my hard chest. I hesitated for a moment, then brought my arms to circle around her. The sheet had fallen away from her, so I pulled it up to cover her again.

"I'm sorry," she said softly into my shirt. "I know it's a lot to take in. But I promise, I'm not lying."

"I believe you," I said simply. And I really did. It honestly didn't surprise me that the Volturi would do such a thing, especially after seeing them today.

That seemed to satisfy her. She closed her eyes and nuzzled my chest, sighing. "But, even though I'm going to die, I'm glad I got to meet you Edward."

I sighed and pulled her up so her face was then cradled between the pillow and my shoulder. I sat up a little, pulling the pillows back down to their original state, then repositioned us to lie down. This seemed to make her more comfortable, because her body became slightly heavier as she relaxed.

"I swear to you Bella," I murmured into her hair, "that as long as I'm around, I will keep you alive and well. As long as I'm able."

She smiled then, and her words were groggy, echoing from the edges of sleep. "I believe you, Edward."

And then the angel began to dream.

I was so stupid to think that I could keep Bella safe. If anything, my attempts were what brought about her death. I should have taken up Rose's offer, let her have Bella while I took the pack's Beta, Leah. I could have spared Bella's life, let her be the way she was…. But no. She never lets me think that way, Bella. She insists that what happened was perfect, exactly what she wanted, what our entire race needed…but I'm still to this day not fully convinced. I feel as if I've damned her. She insists that, even if that's true, it was worth it, being able to save the world. I'm still not sure if we even did that….


	5. Chapter 5

So, now is the point in my story where some additional media may increase the fun of the reading for you. Escape the Fate is an amazing band who has gone through a lot of crap in their career. They're currently on their second lead singer after their first got arrested (Ronnie Radke, you may have heard about him in the news). The song featured in this chapter, _It's Just Me,_ is off their new album _This War is Ours_ with their new lead singer Craig Mabbit, formerly of Bless the Fall. I truly love their music and, since one of their songs, _My Apocalypse _from their previous cd _Dying is Your Latest Fashion_, helps constantly to inspire new ideas for this story, I've decided to give several of their other songs a place in this story as well. My advice would be, although I have provided the lyrics within the story, to listen to the song during the _lemon!!!!_ Lol. If you go to you can find it there. : ) Now, enjoy the story (this one's even LONGER) !!!!!

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, nor any of it's preceding books. However, this plot and the original characters are of my creation and mine alone. As an author I am entitled to my rights and by publishing this story of I am acknowledged as a writer. Therefore, any violation of my rights including but not limited to, re-publishing or quoting not confirmed with me, will be reported and appropriate actions will be made._

Chapter 5: It's Just Me

It was several torturous hours until she woke up. Torturous in many ways. One being the fact that the close proximity to her blood was making me light-headed with desire. And then there was the other desire, the one that grew steadily as I watched her breasts rise and fall with each breath her body sucked in. And the more I thought about that air rushing into her mouth, the more I thought about other things I would like to be in her mouth.

I was able to contain myself until she started to talk. She talked about a lot of things in her sleep. One of them was the Jacob boy. She seemed to be worried about him. And Emmett. Emmett's name came up frequently. And every time after she said his name, she would mutter the word "them" in an angry tone. But the most pleasing thing about that night was the fact that she said my name more than anyone else's. Which surprised me. Wasn't I the blood-sucking beast that she had feared all that time? And now what was I? Her savior? I wanted to keep her safe, but I didn't think I could be that to her.

The time by myself gave me a lot of empty moments in which to contemplate the things that she had said. I found it hard to believe that werewolves and vampires had found a place where they could co-exist. I had personally experienced the instant reactions vampires and werewolves had to each others presence. It was a vicious desire to rip, tear and bite until there was only one creature left breathing. The idea that anyone had managed to overcome that was a mind-boggling thought on it's own.

But where did humans fit into all of this? From the way Bella talked, it seemed as if they weren't just some lost civilization hiding in the caves of some distant country. She spoke as if they were widespread, inhabiting the entire world. And both of these ideas were forbidden by my world. Forbidden by my own mind. After five years of having one sentence ground into my head…

'_The H-word does not exist."_

What a bunch of shit.

But, if Bella's story was true and humans did exist, why would vampires be so adamant on destroying them? From what I'd seen of Bella, they were even more fragile than the werewolves. They should bear no threat to beings made of stone with enough reflexes and speed to take on hundreds of humans at once.

It was all too much for me to handle.

It was lucky that Bella woke up soon after my brain quit. It was getting harder and harder to not notice the growing intensity with which she spoke my name. And the new smell in the air was giving me pangs in my stomach that I would rather ignore, if only for the sake of my sanity. If I were to act on those feelings…I would surely kill her.

Her breath suddenly caught in her throat and she gasped. Her eyelashes fluttered as she gradually woke up. A small frown appeared on her face and she buried her nose in my chest.

"No," she groaned, her tone nearing a sob. "I was just getting to the good part."

I snorted. "Pleasant dreams?"

She shook her head and slowly sat up. "You have no idea."

Bella after a good sleep was a breath-taking sight. Her hair resembled something that could only be described as sex hair. Her eyes were bright with new energy and the creases my shirt had left on her face were endearing. I reached up with my right hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her face and could feel the heat from slumber on her skin. She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning into my hand so I was cupping her cheek. She opened those beautiful chocolate orbs to stare into my red ones. The smile had that appeared on her face turned into something cunning and sly.

"I dreamed about you," she sighed, raising her hands above her head. I noticed the way it lifted her breasts, making them even more perky and voluptuous. She leaned her head back to toss her head away from her face. She used her hands to gather it all up into a long coil and tie it into a simple knot at the base of her neck.

"I know," I said softly, closing my eyes and falling deep into the pillows. "You talk in your sleep, you know."

"Oh," she sighed with an embarrassed expression, caught a bit off guard. Clearly she had planned to describe it to me. "I do?"

I smiled and closed my eyes. "Yes, you do."

I felt her shift and suddenly her hot breath was blowing across my face. "Could you guess what was happening then?"

I instinctually tossed her off me and leaped from the bed in less than a second. I crossed the room and stared into the mirror, trying to gain control of myself. The smell of her had almost been too much then. One more second and my teeth would have been on her neck again.

"You really want me to kill you, don't you Bella?" I muttered, closing my eyes and pressing my fingers into the bridge of my nose.

I heard her shrug. "Not exactly. But I really wouldn't mind if you wanted to take another bite."

I hissed then, turning to glare at her to make sure she understood _that_ wasn't going to happen again. She didn't seem phased. She sighed and spoke again, this time on a random topic that surprised _me._

"Do you guys sleep?"

I raised an eyebrow and turned completely to face her. "Not really," I said. "We can go into meditative stages where we can rest our minds, but our bodies never need physical sleep. Occasionally the Elders will put the Upper Class students into a deep meditative stage before hunting a pack to sharpen their mind, but the Under Class never really needs to. In-between classes, though, the Elders are always meditating."

She nodded. "Yes, I've seen Carlisle do that before, but Alice and Jasper could never really explain it. They said it was more complicated than it looked."

I smiled. "A lot of things here are more complicated than they seem."

Her face turned serious then. She shifted her position on the bed so that she was sitting cross-legged. She turned to face the center of the bed, and then patted the space in front of her, a clear indication that I should join her. I took a deep, calming breath and walked across the room to sit with her. The smell was powerful, but not unbearable. I had enough blood in my system that my body didn't demand her, but if I didn't eat soon it was going to get harder.

_I'm creeping my way out so you can see me_

_I'm crawling my way around 1,000 cities_

_You all stop and stare, I don't need your pity_

_I'm living my life in this hell_

"Have you thought about what I've said?" she asked, her eyes bright with hope. "About Carlisle? And Emmett?"

"Yes," I said simply, not sure what she expected from me.

"And?" Her voice was eager then. I shrugged and her eyebrows drew together. "You know," she said, her eyes beginning to space out, "I was thinking about something while I was asleep." I gave her a curious face and she rushed on to say, "I don't think you're going to like it."

I was immediately skeptical. "What, Bella?"

"Well," she said, "how hard would it be for a new vampire to keep believing that humans exist?"

I gave a sharp laugh at that statement. "Impossible. No way. They brainwash you for days."

"What if they had someone to remind them…someone who knew everything and could help the new vampire remember?'

"Bella," I said, suddenly very worried about where she was going with this. "What exactly are you trying to say."

"What if _I _became a vampire? I'm no help as a human and werewolves are made from birth. And you could help me remember-"

"No," I said, taking her shoulders roughly between hands. She winced, but didn't say anything. "Bella," I growled, barely able to contain myself. "We don't even know HOW vampires are created. And there's this guy, Aro, he can read minds. He'll KNOW that you think humans exist."

"Humans _do_ exist," she said forcefully, "And I know how vampires are created. And I already know about Aro. We know how to get around that."

I jumped from the bed and began pacing the room. I had to keep moving or I was going to strangle her in anger. "What do you mean! Explain now, Bella." My voice was barely more than a hiss and growl.

_Now I'm crawling away cuz the stress has killed me_

_I feel like I fell from a 10 story building_

_Best run and hide before the devil starts forbidding_

_I'm living my life in this hell_

"Eleazer, that guy who was in the Volturi with Carlisle," she started, her voice garbled as she rushed to explain. "He left the Volturi too, but on nicer terms. He found a mate, Carmen, and wanted to live with her on his own. He met up with Carlisle a few months ago. And with his gift, the one to predict other's gifts…he could see what my gift would be if I was a vampire." She smiled then, seeming pleased with herself. "He said I was a shield, although he couldn't predict what sort. But Alice, she had a gift too. She can see the future. And Jasper, he can control emotions. Both of their gifts affect me. And I can't stop physical stuff either, or else I'm pretty sure I'd be a lot less clumsy." She chuckled and turned to look at me in the eyes. "It gets pretty embarrassing sometimes."

I rolled my eyes. "Keep talking Bella."

She nodded. "It took us a while to figure out what it would be. Until these three women came, Amazon vampires, who had heard of Carlisle's alliance with werewolves and wanted to see if it was true. One of them could create images in your head and another could make your mind feel as if you body was being electrocuted. When they tried their gifts on me, nothing worked. So Carlisle assumed that it meant that only the mental stuff couldn't affect me, which would, I assume, include Aro as well."

I shook my head. "That still doesn't change the fact that you're _not_ a vampire."

She then shook _her _head at _me._ "Carlisle told me about it. It's not that complicated, although apparently it takes large amounts of restraint. All you have to do is bite a human and not finish them off. Let the venom go."

I growled, again and stopped pacing. "Bella, you can't be serious."

"Edward," she gasped, jumping to her feet to face me. "Think about it. I'll be safer if I can defend myself and I can help. All you have to do is-"

"No."

"Why not!" She gasped, childishly stopping a foot. The movement knocked her off balance and she fell. She threw a hand out to stop herself but it scraped the metal frame of the bed, just like her knee had last time. The smell overtook me in a matter of milliseconds.

My reaction was instantaneous. I leapt down to her side, seizing her waist in one hand and her wrist in the other.

"This is why, you foolish girl," I gasped, rubbing my lips on the wound. "You blood, it sings to me. I don't think I'd be able to resist it once it starts to pour…just like I can't resist it now."

_I'm not one for the crowd to see_

_It's just me_

_It's just..._

Her head fell back and she gasped. Her hair fell from its knot, tumbling down her back in waves that sent more of her body's perfume to race up my arms and into my senses. I growled and placed my lips fully on the wound and took a small drag from it, like sipping from a flask.

"Edddd-waaaard," she groaned, her beautiful long locks tickling my knees as writhed in ecstasy. "Don't…don't…."

I wasn't sure what she was trying to say. All I knew was that if the taste of her was ever denied me I would surely burst into flames. Already felt like my insides were burning, her blood slowly trickling in to satisfy the never ending thirst. I would deny the urge to consume her whole, but I could not keep her blood from my lips, my tongue, my throat….

"Edward," she sighed, lifting her head and seizing my hair. Her strength wasn't enough to move me, but it was enough to convey her desires. I followed the path her hands lead me to until my lips were on hers, consuming them in lust. She sighed, the taste of her invading my mouth and I continued to assault her mouth. Her fingers moved from my hair to claw at my back. So absorbed in her mouth was I that I didn't notice what she was doing until I heard a ripping sound and felt fresh air hit my back as it became exposed. The little…she had torn my shirt off my back. I groaned against her lips as she pulled it forward off my shoulders, the opposite way a shirt is meant to be removed. I lifted my hands from her for a brief moment to let the cloth pass from my arms and then immediately let them collapse back around her waist, pulling her closer.

_Just a little more, come on and satisfy me_

_Just a little more, come on and terrify me_

_Just a little more and I'll be done with it_

_Take my life and then I'll feel okay_

She took the hands that had proceeded to claw up my back to trail upwards along my spine. They wrapped themselves in my hair again until one detached itself from my hair to flow across my face and over to hers, then down her neck until it reached the point where her shoulder met her neck. I didn't see how she managed to do it, but somehow she managed to scratch herself there, causing a small line of blood to form. I groaned, trying to ignore it, but she pulled her lips from mine and let out a soft growl.

"Edward," she sighed, please.

My walls caved some more then. I stood to my feet, dragging her with me, and then unceremoniously dumped her on the bed. She tossed me a come-hither smile that was going to become the death of me…or her.

No. I banished that thought from my head. No matter what, I would not let her die at my hands. Instead, beneath my hands she would moan and writhe, unable to contain the moans that would give away her pleasure.

"Edward." She kept saying my name. Every time she said it I was unable to remember why I held back from her. I latched my mouth onto that cut, drawing from it slowly, just as I had all her previous wounds. It wasn't until I had quickly ripped her shirt and bra from her and felt the heat of her body beneath my hands that I would remember. She was fragile…so fragile. I would have to be careful with her. With a growl I pulled my lips from her neck and looked at the newly revealed skin.

The rising and falling of her chest continued to taunt me. But now I could clearly see her breasts in all their glory, their coverings removed. It was so beautiful. I had never seen anything more enchanting than those beautiful than those soft mounds following every movement her chest made as it took in those precious breaths of air. I slowly lowered my hands to them, almost fearing that my cold touch would harm that delicate skin beyond repair. And when my hands did touch the skin, it felt as if I was being blessed by some sort of divine being.

_Cut it out of my mouth_

_Put my tongue on a pole_

_I won't sing any more_

_I'm losing control_

I'd never felt anything so…soft. It was like brushing my hands on a cloud. And cloud that moaned and gasped when I touched it. I could see her nipples becoming pert buds and she twitched beneath me. Curiously, I moved my right hand closer to touch one. As soon as it was in my grasp, her head shot up and her eyes locked with mine in a desperate gasp.

"Oh…oh my," she said, sweat appearing along her brow. She threw her head back and sighed, "More."

I pinched it softly and she began to…well, the only way to describe those sounds coming from her was _purring_. She was purring under me, her eyes squeezed shut. And then I had a thought.

"Bella," I said, surprised at how husky my voice sounded, "don't move."

Her eyes shot open again, eyeing me was something that was a mix between fear and excitement. I slowly brought my head down, never letting my eyes move from hers. I let a second pass, my lips centimeters from her, before I let my tongue reach out and taste.

_Cut it out of my mouth_

_Put my tongue on a pole_

_Take the air from my lungs_

_Take the heart from my soul_

Dear Aldabella.

She tasted like heaven.

And the sounds she made…I nearly came undone.

I brought my entire mouth to that bud, tasting it thoroughly before moving on to the other one. She ignored my request, wiggling under me in excitement and pleasure.

"Edward," she gasped again, grabbing my hair. I followed her wishes again and followed the path of her hands. But instead of bringing me to her lips, she brought me to her neck.

"Please," she sighed. And who was I to deny her?

_I'm not one for the crowd to see_

_It's just me_

_It's just..._

I drew small sips from it, enjoying the sounds she let loose and she continued to seize with waves of pleasure. I felt something brush against my naval and realized it was her hands. This quickly brought my attention to something I hadn't noticed before, surprisingly. I had an issue below the belt. The throbbing began to be nearly painful when I realized the erection I had growing beneath my pants. She was moaning as I continued to lap at her, fumbling with the button on my pants.

As soon as I realized the hard-on, my actions began to have true purpose behind them. I had no patience for her slow fingers. I quickly undid the zipper and button on my pants, making sure to then pull down my pants _and_ boxers together. I then made quick work of hers. I let her keep the underwear on, though. I wanted to see what Rose had given her.

I moaned. That evil vampire goddess. She _must_ have known this was going to happen. She had stuck Bella in a black and blue lace thong, which hugged her hips in the most sinful way. It was possible, however, that this was simply the only option Rosalie had to give Bella. The thought nearly sapped my erection right then, until Bella let out another groan when she felt my tip brush her thigh.

I smirked and brought my hands to her hip, trailing it down her sides. She moaned, gasping as I brought it closer to her core. I let my fingers brush the cloth over her center, which was wet with desire. I resisted the urge to rip the offending garment off and instead kept brushing against the cloth, enjoying the sounds Bella made.

_Just a little more, come on and satisfy me_

_Just a little more, come on and terrify me_

_Just a little more and I'll be done with it_

_Take my life and then I'll feel okay_

"It appears you're ready for me, my pet," I crooned. "Can you feel how ready I am for you?" I asked, settling myself between her legs and letting myself brush against her again.

"Edward, please," she gasped, clawing at my chest. I smiled, letting all my razor-sharp teeth show before I brought a finger beneath the cloth of her thong.

"I wonder how you'll feel," I sighed. I removed her underwear, sliding it slowly down her thighs and legs. I smirked when it was free of her body then reached over and tucked it into my nightstand. "I'm keeping this pair." Bella smiled, but then seized my hand, reminding me of the task at hand. I could have easily resisted her, but I allowed her to guide my hand to her center. She left it there, then trailed her hands up my arms and let them rest on my shoulder. I bent over a kissed her forehead tenderly. And then I brought a finger to her slit and let it plunge inside of it out of my mouth.

_Put my tongue on a pole_

_I won't sing any more_

_I'm losing control_

If I thought her skin was warm, I had been sorely mistaken. And if I thought her breasts were soft, I was mistaken there as well. Every misconceived notion I had about the world was changed in that moment. Firstly, the universe didn't revolve around the sun. It revolved around her. Beauty personified. The most amazing thing I had ever witnessed. The expression of utter glee and satisfaction on her face as I slid my finger inside of that warm cavern was more astonishing than Rosalie on her best day. When the second finger slipped in, I nearly came undone from the sounds.

"Oh…oh Edward…ah!" she gasped, clutching at my shoulders. I was in heaven

And there was one more thing that my brain finally excepted.

Because there was no way a vampire could ever be that warm, and there was no way that a werewolf could feel this right in my arms.

Humans existed.

_Cut my tears of the sound_

_The erosion of my soul_

_I won't sing any more_

I wasn't really sure what that meant at the time. The thought suddenly came to me and it felt…right. I'd never been more sure of anything than at that moment when Bella convinced me that her species did, in fact, exist. And when I realized that, I believed everything else.

But, in the heat of the moment, that all shifted to the back of my mind to ponder at a later time.

Because every part of me, every fiber of my being, was consumed by her.

_I'm creeping my way out so you can see me_

_I'm crawling my way around 1,000 cities_

_You all stop and stare, I don't need your pity_

_I'm living my life in this hell_

I pulled my fingers from her and they made a slick sound as they slid from her warmth. She whimpered at the loss, but moaned when she saw me bring the digits to my mouth. As soon as I tasted her, I was echoing her moans. If I hadn't already tasted her blood, I would have sworn there was no sweeter substance in the world. I may not have been able to survive on it but, like ice cream, I would be happy to have frequent tastes.

I instantly knew that neither of us could wait any longer. Whether it was the throbbing of my loins or her desperate cries of "please" that set me over I wasn't really sure. All I knew was I wanted, _needed_, to be inside of her.

"Bella," I gasped. "If I hurt you at all, you must tell me." I brought my hand that wasn't supporting my weight to her chin, lifting it so I could look her in the eyes. "I know this is supposed to be…painful, regardless. But I'm going to do my best to be gentle. You have to tell me if I hurt you, so I can stop."

She brought her lips to mine then, crushing them desperately in a fierce kiss that almost knocked _me, ME_, off my feet. When she pulled back she had a wicked little twinkle in her eyes. "You underestimate me, Mr. Cullen," she said, her voice husky with desire. "I'm never going to let you stop."

That was all it took. With a groan, I was inside of her in one swift movement. She hissed in pain, so I stayed as still as possible for a moment, allowing her to adjust. A few moments later, she sighed. She then brought her legs to encircle my waist, pulling me close.

"Just go, Edward," she sighed. "And if I scream…I can't guarantee that it's because I'm in pain."

I nearly came right then, the way she was talking. Instead, I slid out carefully, then softly thrust back in, enjoying the sounds she was emitting. I took it slow at first, but her legs began to pull, her heels digging into my back as she urgently tried to increase the pace. I was more than happy to oblige.

_Just a little more, come on and satisfy me_

_Just a little more, come on and terrify me_

_Just a little more and I'll be done with it_

_Take my life and then I'll feel okay_

She was right. The screams she admitted were definitely not from pain. I could confirm this by listening to the words laced inside the screams.

"Edward," she yelled, yanking me closer with her legs, "Edward, don't you dare stop. Don't you dare fucking stop. Oh my god…."

I grunted, allowing myself to pull her a little closer. She clawed at my back, begging me to pull her nearer, hold her a little tighter. So I constricted my grip, pulling her a close as I dared. And then, with her neck in clear view, I plunged my teeth into her soft flesh one last time.

That was all it took to bring us both over those edges we had slowly be building up to. The blood in my mouth was so much more delicious amidst her screams of pleasure and the feeling of her walls clamping down on me. I felt as if my entire world was coming unraveled, in the best way possible.

When she finally stopped twitching, I gave one, two, three more thrusts, then sighed, quickly flipping us over so she was lying on my stomach. I bent my head to lick her neck one last time to seal the wound, then lied back, allowing a smile to fall across my face. She smiled as well and gently rubbed her cheek against my bare chest.

"That was…nice," she sighed, her face flush.

I snorted. "Nice? Well then obviously I didn't do my job right."

She lifted her head to smile up at me. "Would you prefer _orgasmic_?"

_Just a little more, come on and satisfy me_

_Just a little more, come on and terrify_

_Just a little more and I'll be done with it_

_Take my life and then I'll feel_

_Take my life and then I'll feel_

_Take my life and then I'll feel okay_

I smiled back and placed my hand on her head, pushing it back down to my chest so I could stroke her hair.

"Yes. I would."

She chuckled then sighed. Her breathing began to get slower and I grew fearful for a moment.

"You're not going to sleep again, are you?"

She let out a full belly laugh then, sitting up completely so she was straddling my abdomen. The position gave me new ideas for next time. That was, until I saw how she was sitting. It was as if she was…in pain. Then I saw her arms and legs.

"You're going to have bruises later," I growled, frustrated. They were red and I could see that my handprints would be imprinted on her skin for several days. "How do you feel?"

She looked down, examining her arms as well. She obviously didn't think the damage was a bad as I did. She shifted a little, examining each body part's ability to function. She shrugged then.

"Not too bad. I can tell I'm going to be stiff, and you're right about the bruises. But that's not too bad. Really, Edward, I've had worse." She smiled. "Alice has a tendency to be overzealous when she dresses me, and Jake and I have always wrestled around for fun. Not that it's much of a competition," she laughed. "He's always been bigger than me."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry."

She laughed. "I'm fine. All I really need is a shower." She made a point of looking around and then turning to me, raising an eyebrow. I smiled.

"Through that door on the right," I said, pointing to the oak door. Even if we didn't sweat, we all still felt the need to shower after being in contact with the dogs. "Take your time. I'm going to meditate for a while. I have a lot to think through."

She got off the bed, asking, "Still trying to decide?"

I shook my head. "No," I said. "I believe you. Now I just have to decide what it all means."

She smiled again, and I realized that she was, in truth, glowing. She seemed to still be basking in the after-effects of her orgasm, a smile of some sort always on her face. She bent down a kissed me, keeping it short but sweet. She pulled back and ran a hand through my hair, a gentle caress to my scalp. "We make quite the pair, don't we?" She asked, her eyes teasing. I nodded, realizing that I, too, seemed to have a permanent smile on my face. And then a thought came to me and, without thinking, I voiced it aloud.

"I wonder if I still need the l'Apogée d'Annulation, even though I didn't drink all her blood."

"l'Apogée d'Annulation?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow. Her accent was terrible.

"Yeah…," I said, suddenly realizing that mentioning it may have been a bad idea. "Whenever we drink all of someone's blood, we experience…well, orgasms. If we don't drink l'Apogée d'Annulation, we keep, welling, having the orgasms."

Bella's eyebrows came together and, for a moment, I thought she was going to freak out. Instead, she asked, "And I suppose your 'Elders' give this to you?"

I shrugged. "Well, yeah."

She shook her head. "Do me a favor, Edward. Don't drink that stuff."

My jaw dropped. "Don't- But Bella, if I don't, I-"

Bella continued to shake her head. "Trust me, Edward. That just sounds…wrong to me."

I sniffed, turning my head from her in an almost childish way, which was unusual for me. "I don't see how you're an expert on vampire anatomy, Bella."

She smiled softly. "I just want you to trust me, Edward." She laughed then. "If you have an…accident, you can blame me all you want later."

I hissed, but all she did was smile and bend down to kiss me on the forehead. She assumed I would obey her request, which I knew I would. But I still didn't like it.

"I'm going to go take a shower now," she sighed, almost skipping to the door. "Enjoy your…well, nap."

I shook my head, watching her go. As soon as the door shut behind her I fell back into the pillows, allowing my body to relax. Even if we couldn't get stiff or tired, it still felt natural to relax. Maybe because, at once time in my previous life, I had needed to.

It felt strange to think that I, and every other vampire I knew, had been human at one point. Every indestructible Elder, even the Volturi, had been defenseless balls of flesh once, no matter how many centuries ago. It hurt to think about. But, deep in meditation, it all made more sense. I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander, fly free from my body eventually. And then, finally deep under and able to concentrate, the most bizarre thing happened. Usually, in meditation, I just sort of float and my thoughts seems to flow more easily. But this time I had…a _dream._

_And that was the moment it all began to fall into place. It was the moment everything began to make sense, and also the point where everything became more confusing than before. I was given new riddles to ponder and new horrors to realize. But, the worst part of it all was, when I "woke up" from that dream…Bella was gone._

Yes, surprise, it's me! Simply Abbey has returned from the grave. I've just finished my and school year and I'm prepared to dedicate a summer of writing to YOU. As a gift to those of you who were readers of this story before and were slightly confused on some details I have here for you a newly edited story. I reread through everything and realized there were a few things that were slightly misleading/confusing. Should be fixed now. Also, I am ready and rolling to start accepting Beta gigs. So just let me know. To those of you who are just going us, Welcome to the show! I promise you a wonderfully unique and original fanfiction, courtesy of my dreams and the inspiration of the lovely band _Escape the Fate_. CHECK THEM OUT. I am nearly finished with the next chapter. It's got a lot of stuff going on in it and it's a huge cornerstone for the plot. So for those of you who have been waiting for years now for the story to continue, I give you an updated story and a promise of a new chapter before Friday. (Friday because I'm leaving for a wedding that day…my bff is getting married! Hooray!) For you newcomers, please enjoy the show and, please, review to let me know what you think. ; )


	6. Announcing the Return of Simply Abbey

New chapter will be up by Friday the 14th, 2010. Possibly earlier. No later though.

Sorry for the delay in postings. Fanfiction kinda fell of my radar.

But I'm back. And I'm determined to have Edward and Bella see this adventure through.

Especially now that I won't feel guilty writing fanfiction when I have a history essay due the next day.

See you all soon!

Simply Abbey


	7. Chapter 6Finally!

**Please take a few moments to listen to the song "My Apocalypse" by Escape the Fate before or during this fanfiction. I feel it will really put you in the mindframe of the chapter. You can find it on YouTube no problem. .com/watch?v=cVuhf9_WgW4 Let me know if you have problems finding it!**

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, or any of its preceding books. Lyrics belong to "Escape the Fate"._

Chapter 6: My Apocalypse

One thing that must be understood about vampires…we don't sleep. The bed is merely there in case it's needed, as is everything else in that place. So, because we can't sleep, it's reasonable to assume we can't dream. As I explained to Bella, we merely go into what could almost be described as a coma. And in that coma, all of our thoughts are laid out and easier to see. Also, even though vampire sight in impeccable and we have brain capable of handling several things at once, even we enjoy the luxury of stepping back and examining things again. So, this coma I self-induced was to help me understand what was happening. What truly ended up happening confused me far more.

Instead of the complete darkness usually associated with the coma, I found myself in a sort of haze, like a fog on a dark night. I felt a rush of heat against my skin and began to see shapes and colors. I took several steps forward, surprised to find that the endless void beneath me was solid. I looked down and then nearly became dizzy as a leafy ground rushed toward me. My knees buckled slightly as I found myself suddenly heavier, as if I had been weightless and the sudden appearance of an actual ground caused gravity to come rushing back. I drew a deep, unnecessary breath and looked back up. I was suddenly surrounded by trees. Trees that seemed to inhabit a damp, grey place, with no sun shining down on me. I took a few steps towards a tree and placed my hand on it. It felt rough beneath my hand, its woodsy smell assaulting my nose. To my horror, I watched the tree begin to _wilt_ beneath my hand. It shrank and began to die. I pulled my hand away in fright, but the damage was done. It suddenly burst into flame, sickly green smoke rising from it. I backed away slowly, but bumped into something immediately. It was another tree. It, too, shrank and then began to burn. I leaped away from it as well, only to repeat the same thing. This desperate dance of flame and fear continued for several seconds before I contained myself enough to look around before I stepped back. But, by then, I was surrounded by destruction.

The trees burned slowly, causing the leaves on their neighbors to begin to smoke. I was horrified. I was desperate to get away, but forced myself to walk carefully. The underbrush I stepped on caught fire as well, but something told me that this was unavoidable and to just keep moving.

I then found myself in a garden of sorts. It was surrounded by flowers of every shape and color, all in various combinations. The smoke from the trees stung my eyes. I forced myself to stare through the smoke to keep moving but it was getting harder. My feet were…getting heavy. I was getting tired! Really, truly, physically tired. It was impossible. Vampires don't get tired. But there I was, becoming exhausted. I stumbled twice and then fell to my knees. I braced myself on my palms, feeling the ground begin to burn beneath my touch. My forehead fell to the ground and I felt flames begin to lick my face.

I let my eyes close. I was falling down a dark well, filled with stars and sleepy sensations that had me drunk on my own content feelings. I had nearly reached the bottom of the well when all of the sudden, the starry skin in front of me exploded in a flash of bright white light. I felt a coldness envelope me, hitting me in minuscule, sharp jabs on my flesh. And I began to come back to myself. I became more aware of my physical body, sudden energy shooting into my limbs, making my body jolt. I opened my eyes to see that the cool, sharp sensations were a silver sort of rain falling down on me. I lifted my head slightly. Ahead of me was the garden, calling my name. And behind me the dark, grey forest of trees continued to burn, despite the rain. And back in that direction, amidst the destruction, a hooded shape came forward. The face was impossible to make out, but the way the thing walked made me completely positive that it was a vampire. And this was proven as a gust of wind came up. It swept the bitter smoke around the hooded thing, and the hood was blown off. It was Markley. His teeth glinted in the light of the fire as he held the goblet of l'Apogée d'Annulation, which seemed to be bathed in a halo of light.

"Hello, Edward," he said, a smile bright on his face. He knelt beside me, giving me a quick push to roll me over. "Drink this. It will help with the dream."

"I thought it was only for the 'spazms'," I gasped, my voice hoarse from the smoke.

Markley smiled knowingly. "The l'Apogée d'Annulation is good for many things."

I shook my head and a deep frown appeared on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped suddenly by a voice so beautiful I was certain it was the wind dancing in the trees.

"Let me, Benjamin," the voice whispered. It sounded like a huntress laughing as she chased after her hounds, as well as a choir of bells. It wafted like the wind and danced around me, seducing me.

Markley, or 'Benjamin' I suppose, seemed rather irritated by the interruption, but quickly pasted on a pleased and awed look as he turned to look behind him. I followed his gaze and saw a shape moving in the trees. As it grew closer, I realized that the silhouette was one of a woman in a flowing white dress. I was able to make out silvery long hair that danced on the wind as she drew closer. And when I saw her face…it was extraordinary. She more than gave Rose a run for her money. Except, instead of a brilliant scarlet, her eyes were a dull burgundy that was cloudy, as if someone had dumped a gallon of milk into a vat of tomato sauce.

She knelt behind me and then pushed me up so I was sitting upright. Her skin was cold, colder than my own, and when I looked up at her I saw that her eyes glistened. They didn't shine like the venom in our eyes, but they sparkled as if her whites were covered with snow. I saw her small arm reach out to take the goblet from Markley. He did well at hiding his distaste from her, but his eyes gave him away. However, the woman didn't seem concerned with Markley. She brought the cup to my face as she said, "My name is Aldabella, Edward." I felt her smile into my ear as she whispered. "And I promise you, you won't see me again for a while. In fact, you won't even remember this."

Forgetting. Yes, that would have been very nice. There were several things I would have liked to have forgotten. Bella, maybe. Certainly her radical ideas she poisoned me with. I would have been grateful to forget this crazy vision. But, it seemed that I was going to remember after all, because suddenly, with a hiss, Aldabella was gone. She dropped the goblet and went racing off, Markley at her heels. I nearly fell backwards due to the loss of support, but strong hands caught me under my arms and pulled me up again, all the way to my feet.

_T__here's a place that I've found_

_As far as I can see_

_This place lies within_

_The depths of my dreams_

_In a garden surrounded_

_By fire and trees_

_Through the smoke a silhouette I can barely see_

_There's a man with an axe_

_Standing in the rain_

"Alright there, Edward?" a voice asked. The grip of the man confirmed that this, too, was another vampire. "I think they've gone for now."

I nodded and took a step forward to free myself from the man's grasp, then turned around to face him. He had an ax over his shoulder, his beautiful blonde hair wavy and full, a few strands falling into his eyes. His smile was bright, but his eyes were troubled. And not only that…but his eyes weren't the usual shade of red. They were…emerald, a bright and shining green with flakes of gold and silver. The color shocked me, but not as much as what he then said.

"Edward," he said, his voice suddenly hushed with urgency, "we haven't much time, and I'm only allowed to tell you so much." He turned away from me suddenly, facing the garden. "Follow me," He said, walking away.

I jumped to my feet and raced after him, trying to get my bearings. I didn't dare speak, so I followed in silence. The garden we walked through was beautiful, despite the smoldering trees around us. _I destroyed all that_, I thought. _Me. That was all me._

Eventually he led me to a small pool of liquid glass. He gazed into it, his eyes dark with thought. He began to mutter under his breath, words I couldn't pick up. The glass began to swirl like a whirlpool with a violence that had me certain the thing was going to consume us. The man noticed my flinching and came over to seize me by the arm. I fought for a moment to pull myself away, but he was far stronger than I was. Stronger than anyone I had countered, including Emmett. He dragged me to the edge of the pond, his face serious and stern.

"Look in the pool, Edward," he said softly. "See what has become of Bella."

"Bella?" I gasped, leaning over the pool. The depths were slowly calming, and as they did a shape began to emerge. It slowly morphed into the shape of a girl in a deep sleep. It wasn't Bella, and yet it was.

"What have they done to her?" I whispered, my body filled with the electric shock of surprise.

_Looked me straight in the eyes_

_This is what he had to say_

"It was not them, Edward," the man said calmly. "It was me. I changed her. She was to become a vampire, but I altered the process, as I had with Aldabella."

"What?" I was aghast. From what I'd seen of Aldabella, I couldn't imagine Bella as anything like her.

The man said, "Aldabella and Bella are now the same, but different. Aldabella has failed, so I have selected Bella to replace her, as I selected Aldabella to replace the Vallux that came before her."

I looked down at Bella again. She looked different. That incredibly pale skin she had worn earlier now had a bit more color to it and she had a golden aura about her. Her chocolate hair was laced with sunshine-gold highlights and her lips were the pink they usually took after being freshly kissed. But some things remained the same. She still looked like Bella. Just…different.

I asked, "What is going on here?"

The man said a simple small word and Bella's image vanished. I turned from the now blank pool to look at the man. His eyes were pitch black and his whites were glowing sapphire. When he spoken, his voice echoed, as if he was yelling from the far end of a tunnel.

"My time with you is quickly running out, Edward. It is not our nature to reveal all. You must seek out the deviant to understand. You must save my new girl, before Aldabella realizes what has happened, or all is lost."

I hissed in frustration. "You haven't told me anything I can even attempt to understand, you crazy man!" My body was hunched in fury and I readied myself to spring at him. I was irrational with anger. "What deviant?"

The man's figure was fading. His voice was nothing but a whisper, but I caught the words easily. He spoke in words more confusing than everything that had happened put together.

_"Never fall asleep,_

_You won't wake up,_

_Destroy the guillotine,_

_Before he does."_

His figure dissipated until the only remainder of his presence was the lingering "before he does" echoing in the air.

Well, fuck.

A sharp jolt brought me back to the white washed room. I sat up abruptly, only to knock foreheads with another head, this one covered in golden blonde hair.

"What the fuck, Edward?" Rosalie gasped as she leapt backwards and landed on all fours on the ground. Her words hissed slightly with irritation. "You were mumbling. That was one _hell_ of a meditation."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples.

"I wasn't meditating, Rose."

She stood up and adjusted her clothes while turning her back to me. "Then what was it?"

I opened my eyes to stare at her turned back, knowing the words were going to sound crazy but unable to keep them in any longer. "It was a dream, Rose."

Rosalie spun around and was by my side in a split second, staring down at me in disbelief. "That's impossible, Edward. We don't dream. That's the mutts, not us."

"I know that," I growled, jumping off the bed to pace the room. "But I also know that it WAS a dream."

Rosalie groaned and collapsed on the bed. "You'd better not let Aldabella hear about this, Edward. You're already in trouble as it is."

I turned on my heels to face her. "What for?"

Rosalie returned my heated gaze with a sad, frustrated stare. "The H-word. Something about you and the H-word."

"What?"

Rosalie shook her head. "It's all been done Edward. They took her. Now we'll never know if she was connected at all to the Bella Emmett is always thinking of."

It took a few moments for her words to penetrate me. I suddenly realized that there was no other sound in the room except for the habitual breathing of Rose and myself. No Bella.

"No!" I roared, leaping from the bed, tearing in circles wildly in search of Bella. She was nowhere to be found.

I rounded on Rosalie, fury evident as I hissed between my words. "Where did they take her?"

Rosalie stayed cool in the face of my anger. "This is precisely why you're in so much trouble, Edward. Falling prey to wolf emotions, what are you thinking?" Her face was a mask of indifference yet her eyes betrayed her frustration. "Our loyalties are to our kind. Letting yourself fall prey to such volatile emotions is dangerous. The love of vampires is strong, strong because we are for eternity. But the love of wolves is mercurial and dangerous."

"You fooled me, Rosalie," I growled. "You never really cared what her story was."

Rosalie balked. "Of course I cared, Edward, but I cared for different reasons than you. If she was the key to breaking down the tide of Emmett's guilt I would have defended her before the Volturi. But after hearing of the emotions Aro saw in you I decided that Emmett would heal in time. We couldn't risk you falling prey to wolf stories."

"But Rose—"

In a flash Rosalie lept to me, seizing me by the neck and throwing me across the room, slamming me into the furthest wall, and the smash of marble on marble sent shockwaves echoing through the room. As I slid down the wall Rosalie stalked toward me, her face shining with anger.

"There are things you have yet to understand Edward, things that would cause you to rip your own limbs from your body to escape the horror. Not all of us are so lucky as to escape. Not all of us are fore-seers and manipulators of minds. Not all of us can get away like Alice and Jasper…" she sobbed on her brother's name, choking on her words. For a moment the fierce, Upper Class vampiress I knew was gone, replaced by a crippled shell of a woman.

"They say," she sighed, slouching into herself, hugging her shoulders, "that at some point it will all make sense. That in time Aldabella will grant us the capacity to understand the way of our worlds. But I've been in the Upper Class for three years now and still…I can't help but wonder if Jasper made the right choice-"

_I walk with shadows_

_(You have to find a better way)_

_I walk with shadows_

_(The questions I will never say)_

_Hiding from the gallows_

_(They keep me safe and sound)_

_So I walk with shadows_

_(The ways of burning down this house)_

Suddenly Rosalie's head snapped up in horror. "Oh my god, Edward I forgot!"

"Forgot what, Rose?" I groaned as I climbed to my feet to question her further. Her train of thought kept shifting and she was leaving me with a headache. One minute she's all lectures and the next she's all doom and gloom. What was going on with her?

"Oh Edward," she gasped, slapping her hands to her face in horror. "I have to go. It's not safe here."

"What are you talking about, Rose?" I sighed. "You can't leave the school, you'll be killed." It was one of the unbreakable rules of the school. No leaving. Not until graduation. Our lives were still too fragile to enter the outside world. Exiting the school meant death to those who believed it was possible to exist outside the school. Only the rumors of Alice and Jasper's success in connecting with Carlisle were able to console Rosalie after her brother's disappearance.

Rosalie hissed as she walked toward the door. "I'm not talking about school, Edward. I'm talking about here, with you. What happens if Aro decides to question you again? If he reads your minds and sees my doubts in your thoughts….

In a blink I was in front of her, blocking her passage to the door. "Oh no you don't, Rose," I growled. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what the fuck is going on. Nothing makes sense anymore and no one seems to be telling the truth."

Rosalie screeched at my attempts to obstruct her passage. "You ridiculous child. Move aside. You may be willing to risk your life to know the truth, but it won't save the wolf-girl. The Volturi have her and soon after reading her thoughts they will destroy her. Nothing you try to do will change that. Now…move."

Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. The Volturi…change…why did this sound familiar?

Then it hit me. The images in the pond, the images from my dreams…the changes in Bella…

"Rosalie," I gasped, straightening up. All the aggressive language in my body fell away, distracting Rosalie long enough to also rise from her crouch of aggression. "What do you know about the Vallux?"

_End transmission_

_The satellites are down_

_I need an earthquake_

_To shake this pity_

_OFF THE GROUND_

Rosalie started, her eyebrows rising into her hair and her frame becoming tense. "A Vallux? How you know about Valli?" (A/N: I'm going to interrupt you guys for a moment. I couldn't decide if the plural of Vallux would be Valli or Vallux's. I decided on Valli. Opinions?)

I shrugged. "What part of 'weird dream' didn't register?"

Rosalie was genuinely stunned. "You don't learn the story of the Vallux until you join the Upper Class. Who's been telling you secrets?"

"I can promise you, it wasn't a student."

Rosalie huffed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Not a chance."

Rosalie's eyebrows came together in frustration as she prepared a retort, but she was interrupted by the slam of my bedroom door hitting my walls as it was forced open by a forceful kick. So much for doorknobs.

The man who had wielded the kick turned out to be Markley, and the look on his face told me he was anything but pleased.

"Cullen," He sighed, his voice a sickly sweet tone that was in sharp contrast to the emotions playing out on his face. "The Volturi have called again for your presence."

Rosalie's face was full of pure terror as her eyes darted between Markley and myself. I remembered her panic moments ago and I knew what she was thinking. A visit to the Volturi certainly guaranteed another intrusion into my thoughts. If Aro knew what Rosalie had been saying, the thoughts she had been confessing, it could very well mean the end of her existence. Defiance was not looked upon very highly by those in control.

For a brief, courageous second I considered denying Markley's request. He was flanked on one side by Emmett who, if he was made aware that my escape was Rose's will, would disable Markley by some means. But when I realized who Markley's other two escorts were I knew there would be no hope in rebuffing Markley's offer.

"Demetri, Felix," I muttered, bowing to acknowledge each vampire. Felix was a large vampire, equal to the hulking Emmett in size. Yet, despite their size similarities, Felix was always one step ahead of Emmett in their sparring matches. Felix was, by far, the best fighter in the school. And where Felix lacked skill Demetri soared. Demetri was probably the most skilled tracker in the vampire world. Demetri tracked them down. Felix killed them. Even with Emmett and Rosalie at my side, there would be no escaping these three vampires who were smiling at me so coldly.

Felix was the first to speak. "The Volturi are very interested in the wolf-girl you've been handling. For a moon girl, she's a pretty little thing." Felix said this last part with a smile.

While Felix was all smiles, Demetri and Markley remained stern. "Come," Markley said, pulling me away from Rosalie and into the fold of the powerful vampires. "We can't keep our guest waiting, boy."

_Just don't trust these liars at the door_

_(You have to find a better way)_

_Kill the ones that have these answers for_

_(The questions I will never say)_

Did I really have a choice? I nodded my acceptance of the invitation and stepped toward the door to join them. Markley's smile was triumphant as he turned on his heels to stalk away from the room, leading the way. Demetri and Felix fell in step behind us. I was effectively stuck.

I expected us to take a few turns down the halls and go to the main reception hall, but instead Markley took me on a different path, pulling us deeper into the center of the school, and then we began our descent on a set of elaborate stairs, built of twisted silver and decorated with snowflakes and naked trees, creating a haunting scene of desolate winter.

The school was ornamented with all things winter. According to some of the Elders, the school was once full of scenes from all seasons, but after the reign of Aldabella began the world began to calm. Vampires were no longer attracted to the volatile undertones of summer and fell into the serenity of winter's spell. And so the school was slowly redecorated to fit the student's need for tranquility. At one point I also found the scenes of winter to soothe my mind, but now it seemed to freeze my body and leave me aching for the sun.

The staircase ended in a richly adorned, underground cathedral of sorts. At the head of the room stood 3 tall thrones, each chair holding one of the Volturi leaders. Marcus and Caius sat on the two outer chairs. Caius' face seemed sad and uninterested in the proceedings, where as Marcus looked eager and ready for a fight. In between the two sat Aro, whose face was a mask of serenity which barely covered his inner panic. I could not understand how Aro, a man of ultimate power, could be panicked by a meeting with me.

"Edward." Aro was the first to speak, his voice echoing down from the high platform the thrones stood upon. "You must forgive our hasty summons, but I'm sure you've noticed there is a slight urgency in these proceedings. We have several questions for you, and we really are hoping your answers will be quick, to the point and, above all, honest. There are things you have become entangled in, and we must remove you from the situation before further harm can be done. The wolf-girl has been relocated by some of my men and we are dealing with her appropriately. In the mean time, we believe it is in the best interest of your well-being if we can debrief you and then send you on your way." Aro smiled then. "You can relax, my child. This is no longer your concern."

Fear suddenly seeped into my bones. What had they done to Bella? Guilt quickly followed the fear as I realized there was nothing I could do to help her. Odds were, I was probably going to be enough trouble of my own once Aro got his hands on me. Which became an unavoidable event as I was prodded from behind, pushed closer to the throne's platform as Aro stood and slowly walked down from his pedestal, his hand outstretched toward me.

"Have no fear, my son," Aro crooned. "Once we know all, everything will be right again."

"Hold out your hand, boy," Demetri growled, accenting his demand with a sharp jab to my back. I bit back a yelp and grudgingly held out my hand.

Aro grinned in triumph and lashed out with his hand, seizing my own. I was prepared for the onslaught of memories and Aro read back every thought I'd ever had. However, what happened next was certainly not that.

_"Never fall asleep_

_You won't wake up_

_Destroy the guillotine_

_Before he does"_

I was surrounded by brilliant bright light, accompanied by those echoing words the Ax-Man had said during my time in the burning garden.

"What's going on?" I gasped. My body was numb. I could no longer feel Aro's grip on my hand, or any of my other limbs for that matter.

"I must be quick, Edward." It was the voice of the Ax-Man, this time stronger. "You haven't much time and the gap is closing again. Listen to me. The fog will lift again. When it does, you must run. Head to the central gates. Rosalie will meet you there with Bella. I can disorient the Volturi for a few moments, but you must be quick. My powers are strongest when the gap is clear, and I am using the time to communicate with you, Emmett and Rosalie. My powers won't be strong for long. Emmett will accompany you. He will help eliminate any barriers you meet. Leave the school, head to the nearest town, a town called "Forks". Friends will meet you there."

My mind was quickly trying to process what I was being told. "But, we die if we leave the school before we become Elders. We're not strong enough to survive."

"Trust me," came the Ax-Man's gruff reply. "Death is guaranteed if you stay here much longer. You're in too deep now, Edward. At least outside the school you and Bella will have a chance."

"Bella?" I gasped, my heart leaping with hope at her name. "She's still alive?"

"Yes," the Ax-Man said, his voice fading slightly. "Rosalie is releasing her now. They'll meet you at the gates. But _hurry._ You must not keep them waiting. We can't risk any harm to Bella while she's still in the process of Changing."

"Into a Vallux?"

"Yes."

"And what precisely is a Vallux?"

"No time now, Edward!" was Ax-Man's responded, this time noticeably distant. "The gap is closing and you haven't much time. Ask your questions to your two friends and the company you will meet in Forks. They can answer any questions you and Bella have. Now…Go!"

On the word "Go" I was thrust from the fog, my right hand stinging as if burned by a brand. My eyes suddenly became clear again and I was sure I'd be seeing some very confused faces staring at me. Did they hear that whole conversation? Or just me talking to myself? Apparently neither question was a valid concern, because every single vampire in the room, apart from one, was frozen in place.

Emmett's eyes met mine from the other side of the room. His face morphed from a mixture of fear and confusion to one of determination in just a couple seconds. He raced over to me, grabbing me by the arm.

"Come on, Edward," he said, hauling me across the room. "Let's go find the girls."

_I walk with shadows_

_(You have to find a better way)_

_I walk with shadows_

_(The questions I will never say)_

_Hiding from the gallows_

_(They keep me safe and sound)_

_So I walk with shadows_

_(The ways of burning down this house)_

It took me a split second to pull myself together, but I eventually found my determination. Something was wrong with this place. Bella had shown me that with her arrival. I wasn't sure how much of me wanted to save her just so I knew she was safe or just so I could figure out what the hell was going on.

Emmett and I took off, racing up those terrible stairs and off through the school, winding our way back to the outer edges of the school. I expected to be attacked from behind, or at least hear the sounds of pursuit. But there was nothing. We didn't meet anyone in the halls either because classes were in session. I could scarcely believe it. Would we really be able to make it out of here?

In less than a minute Emmet and I were rounding the last corner and heading down the hallway that led to the main gates. Ahead of us I could see Rosalie's brilliant blonde hair clear as day. She was facing us, jumping up and down lightly in anxiety as she waited for us. As soon as she realized it was us racing toward her it seemed her frame visibly relaxed and she stopped bouncing when she realized we weren't being followed.

A figure stood next to her, but I couldn't make out who it was at first because they had a large light shining behind them, making it hard to make out their face. As we got closer I realized the light wasn't behind the figure, but was radiating FROM it. And that figure was Bella. But not the Bella that had been the wolf-girl. This was the Bella from the pond in my dream. Her skin literally glowed with sunlight and her eyes glittered with flecks of gold, eyes that were fixed determinedly in our direction, high eyebrows arched over them in irritation.

Rosalie reached over and snatched Bella by the arm, pulling her into a run to head toward the gates. By the time we reached them they had gained enough speed that we didn't have to slow down to meet with them.

"Is there anyone following you?" Rosalie asked, her face full of worry.

"Not that we were aware of," Emmett said, reaching over to grab Rose's hand. "They were locked in a trance when we took off."

"Good. I was worried. Basilius wasn't sure how long he could hold them off."

"Basilius?" I'd completely lost track of the conversation.

"The man who spoke to us when Aro touched your hand."

"Oh. I hadn't known his name."

_All the vibrant colors I see_

_And the shades that fill the grey_

"Can…we…slow…down?" came a sharp, vibrant voice from the other side of Rosalie. It was strong and full of passion, but also seemed to be a little out of breath. "I still…can't…keep up…." It was definitely Bella's voice, but different somehow. More powerful.

Rosalie sighed and reached over, seizing Bella by some limb. Rosalie threw Bella over her shoulder and on to her back without breaking her stride. Bella's face was a mixture of annoyance and relief. Her muttered "thanks" reflected that.

"Sorry, kid." Rosalie huffed. "I forgot you're not as fast as us yet."

"So glad someone noticed," was Bella's flustered response.

Rosalie laughed bitterly. "Don't worry, Sunshine. You'll be right as rain in bit. Then we'll all be bowing at your feet."

If Bella caught Rose's tone she didn't seem bothered by it. "I could probably keep up if we rested for a bit."

"No stopping until we get to Forks," Rosalie said sharply.

"How far is that?" I asked.

"Not much further. Another few minutes maybe."

"I thought you were trying to stay out of all of this, Rose," I said, remembering her fear of getting caught.

"Basilius used all of his energy and time to send all three of us messages and disable to Volturi so you two could get away," Rosalie said, her face full of grim determination, her graceful run undeterred by the extra burden of Bella. "He didn't have any time left to wipe Aro's memory. Edward, he knows everything. He was able to get a read on your thoughts before Basilius blacked him out. It was either leave with you two or be silenced permanently by the Volturi. Plus, I could never turn down a request from a Rex Regis."

"No," Emmett muttered, clearly distracted by something that had caught his eys. "You can't."

I followed his line of sight and immediately realized what he was looking at. He was staring blatantly at Bella, his face a storm of emotions. He looked like he wanted to rip Bella off of Rose's back and give her a hug, a kiss on the cheek, anything. But he also seemed at war with himself, like he didn't really believe it was her.

Bella's eyes were closed as she laid her head on Rose's shoulder. I marveled at the difference. Her skin was still pale, but it had more color to it, a healthy sort of glow that shone like sunlight and seemed to only get brighter. Her hair was still a beautiful chocolate color, but it was laced with sunny highlights. There was a distinctly new smell about her. She still smelled of flowers and vanilla, but now that was also laced with new smells I didn't recognize. I was processing all these changes when I noticed a tear run down her face. To my surprise, her tears weren't like the ones I'd seen the Moon Children shed. They were tears of pure sunlight, sparkling as they fell down her face and froze in place. I felt a sudden rush a pity. Whatever was happening to her, it didn't look pleasant. While her body became more vibrant and alive her face seemed to become more pained, as if the changes racking her body were distasteful to endure. Nothing that seemed to have her screaming in pain, but for sure something one would not enjoy. She inhaled deeply and sighed, admitting a puff of cloud as she exhaled her hot breath into the cool air.

It was then I realized the world we were running through. It was like the pictures displayed at school. The trees were covered in a blanket of snow, which crunched beneath our feet as we ran. The realization depressed me. It seemed we could never rid ourselves of the presence of winter. Not in the school, and apparently not outside of it either.

Suddenly Rose came to a halt, her grip on Emmett's hand stopping his run too. I stopped and turned back to look at them. Rose was staring at something off to her left. It was a small group of people, decidedly vampires judging by their pale skin, composed of four people. There were two men, one of them older than the other by a couple of years. The way the group clustered around the older man revealed that he was the leader. He had short, wavy blonde hair and a welcoming smile. The woman standing closest to him had her arm wrapped around his and was smiling equally as welcomingly, her tawny eyes glistening with excitement behind her curly brown hair. The other man appeared stiff and was leaning on a short girl with spiky black hair for support.

"The older man," Rosalie muttered, "is Carlisle. The woman next to him is Esme, his mate. The little girl is Alice and," Rosalie swallowed once, "the other man is my brother, Jasper."

Emmett nodded. "And they're supposed to help us?"

"Yes," Rosalie said, a small smile rising up on her face as Jasper raised his hand to wave. "They're going to help us."

_Hiding from the gallows_

_(You have to find a better way)_

_I walk with shadows_

_(The questions I will never say)_

_Hiding from the gallows_

_(They keep me safe and sound)_

_So I walk with shadows_

_(The ways of burning down this house)_

_

* * *

_

**Thank you all for returning to read my story and greetings to those just joining us. Well, here it is, over a year later. This chapter was nearly the death of this story. It was a pivotal moment in the plot and it took a LOT of time to write it. But here you are, the sixth chapter of my story. I plan on having the next chapter up by the end of the month but I can't promise anything. One of my best friends is getting married this weekend and I'll be spending a lot of time away from home getting her ready for the big day. But I promise, no more lulls. The next chapter will be up soon. Promise promise promise!**


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Twilight, nor any of its preceding books. However, this plot and the original characters are of my creation and mine alone. As an author I am entitled to my rights and by publishing this story of I am acknowledged as a writer. Therefore, any violation of my rights including but not limited to, re-publishing or quoting not confirmed with me, will be reported and appropriate actions will be made.

The Summer Vallux

_"The older man," Rosalie muttered, "is Carlisle. The woman next to him is Esme, his mate. The little girl is Alice and," Rosalie swallowed once, "the other man is my brother, Jasper."_

_Emmett nodded. "And they're supposed to help us?"_

_"Yes," Rosalie said, a small smile rising up on her face as Jasper raised his hand to wave. "They're going to help us."_

Jasper came running up to greet us, Alice leaping delicately after him. Rosalie carefully released Bella from her back. As I caught the fragile girl in my arms Jasper seized Rosalie into a crushing hug, both of them looking overjoyed and as if they would cry if they were able. Bella watched the meeting intensely, then looked up quickly at me with a questioning look in her eyes.

"Jasper is Rosalie's twin brother," I explained, unable to take my eyes from Bella's face. It had a healthy, sun-kissed look to it and I noticed a sprinkle of freckles on her nose that hadn't been there before. The brilliant shine which had been radiating off of her was slowly beginning to fade to a gentle glow of warmth which I could feel through my hands. Her chocolate eyes were laced with gold and her hair shimmered with sunlight. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Bella?"

I tore my eyes away from Bella's face at the sound of Emmett's hoarse voice. As I looked at him I noticed his eyes were fixed on Bella in an entranced way. My first instincts were those of jealousy and rage until I remembered something very important…Rosalie thought Bella may be Emmett's sister…

Bella turned to look at Emmett, her face lighting up with the most amazing smile I had ever seen.

"Emmett," she gasped. "You're alive?"

Before I knew it, Emmett was at my side, seizing Bella from my arms and pulling her into a tight hold. I immediately feared for Bella's safety until I realized that she seemed to be handling his pressure quite well for as fragile as she seemed…

"I knew you were real, baby sister," he sighed, his breath tickling her neck, sending pieces of it fluttering. "I've been going crazy my whole life, taunted by images of you, my little sister…and now-" he paused, his voice cracking with emotion. "…and now you're here, in my arms…safe…"

Bella's face was flooded with tears. "I thought you were dead. They came through town, killing everyone and when they dragged you away Charlie and I were convinced you were being taken back for…for leftovers..."

They embraced for a second longer before I noticed Bella suddenly clutch her head and stomach, backing away from Emmett, the glow turning to a red thrum under her skin.

"I don't feel so well…" was all Bella was able to get out before she leaned over and regurgitated everything in her stomach. Instantly the leader, Carlisle, was at her side and leading her away.

"Now now, child," Carlisle said calmingly. "You need to lie down. This process is very complex and you've already jeopardized yourself enough by coming here. Go with my wife, Esme-" the beautiful woman who had been at Carlisle's side earlier stepped forward to take Bella from him, "-and go rest at the house. It's just up that hill," he said, pointing to the small dirt path that led up the hill behind him. "In fact, let us all go up to the house. I'm sure you all have many questions and we'll be safe to talk up there."

The procession of vampires headed up the hill toward the house in silence. Inside, however, my mind was racing. What was happening to Bella? Was she even still human? And what about that strange dream I'd had?

"_Never fall asleep, you won't wake up. Destroy the guillotine before he does…"_

As we came to the crest of the hill our eyes fell upon a large house whose walls seemed to be made of purely of glass. Inside I could Esme laying Bella down on the couch while the small one, Alice, lit candles to fight off the growing night. She kept glancing out the windows at us, watching Jasper, who had his arm around Rosalie. Alice smiled, but it was sort of a sad smile, as if whatever happiness she felt watching Jasper be reunited with his sister would soon bear some ill against her. She shook her head a moment later and began to close the blinds.

"Come," Carlisle said, pulling the door open. "We have much to discuss and you must all be hungry. There is a store of blood in our refrigerator. Help yourselves and make yourselves at home. I'm sure you'd all like to rest for a while."

"No," I hissed, shaking my head and firmly grabbing Carlisle's shoulder as he began to walk toward the kitchen to fetch us some dinner. "I want answers now."

Carlisle turned to me, his face stern and almost as sad as Alice's. "I'm afraid I don't have much I can explain to you. I only have what I've gathered throughout the years. The real person you should ask, Edward, is Bella."

"Bella?" I asked, turning to look at the glowing young women on the couch. She stared at me with her shimmering eyes, her face contorted with pain and confusion. Shivers wracked her body and Esme was piling blankets over her in an attempt to warm her up.

"Yes," Carlisle said, also turning to look at Bella, frowning as he also watched her shake. "Every Vallux is born with the history of their people etched into their brain, isn't that right my dear?"

Bella nodded softly. "It's all been coming to be. It's still rather a jumble."

"A Vallux?" I asked, lowering myself down to sit beside her on the couch. "Is that what that man made you when the Volturi took you away?"

Bella nodded. "The Volturi were going to either make me a vampire or kill me. I guess it depended on how they would have felt once they got their teeth in me. So Basilius chose me to be his new Vallux."

Carlisle said, "We'd all very much like to hear your story. I myself only know the story of the first Valli, and my knowledge in even that is lacking."

Bella nodded in agreement, her eyes lowered in concentration. "It's all rather confusing…and horrifying. I'm nearly sick to my stomach just thinking about it….

"In the beginning of the world there were 4 Valli. Each controlled the seasons, one for each. Zare was the fall Vallux, gentle to the touch yet cold in nature. He was the instigator, always causing fights between Summer and Winter. Seta was the spring Vallux. She was the peacemaker of the group, the opposite of Zare. There was Hewa, the summer Vallux. She was fun-loving and volatile, yet the most compassionate of the group. Then there was Rogoue, the Vallux of winter. As you would expect, he was the opposite of Hewa. He was calculating and serious, possibly the most dangerous of the group, besides Hewa.

"The four of them were constantly locked in a battle for the dominance of their season. More often than not Hewa and Rogoue would dominate the year, leaving a small portion for the other two. Tired of the constant fighting, Basilius, the Rex Regis of Seasons, bound the seasons."

"Basilius?" I asked. "Isn't that the man from my visions, the man that helped us escape?"

"Yes," Bella said while nodding. "He is my Protector and Creator. He used you three to save me, and he used me to save you, Edward. And he's the man who created peace between the seasons.

"Each one would be granted 3 months of their season on earth. During each season the Vallux of that season would have superior powers over the rest of the seasons. After those 3 months, the next season in the cycle would be given control through the passing of an amulet. The amulet was the vessel for their power, a portal to the human world. A season cannot be expressed into the human world without the amulet, thus preventing any other Vallux from attempting to interfere.

"This worked well for about 345 years. Then a great clash came about. Hewa began to realize Zare's role in the constant feud between herself and Rogoue. In her anger, she unleashed a blistering heat wave onto the earth before handing the amulet over to Zare. Zare was unable to overcome the heat of the summer and was weakened in the process of attempting to cool the earth. Rogoue, who considered Zare a friend, took his revenge upon Seta, who he knew was Hewa's alliance. Seeing the destruction the four Vallux's had caused the earth Basilius was very angry rage. He decided they had been corrupted by their indestructibility. That was when he bound them to their Guardians.

"Each Vallux was tied to a human. The human, their companion, was to become their vessel in place of the amulet, their gateway to the human world. The Vallux would pool their power through the human into the world. The job of the Guardian, the human, was to control the flow of power into their world. If a Vallux became angry or vengeful it was the job of the Guardian to shut off the gateway. The Vallux depended on the human to express their season in the world they'd been given to maintain.

"But that wasn't the only way the Valli had been tied to the humans. Seeing their confidence in their own immortality as a flaw of the workings of the Valli, Basilius sealed their fate to their Guardians. A Vallux's life was tied to their Guardians. If a Guardian fell, so did it's Vallux.

"A Vallux is indestructible, except to one another. And in order for a Vallux to be destroyed the majority of the Valli must deem the outcast unfit to remain a Vallux. And in the centuries they'd been together never had all three Valli sought the destruction of a single Vallux. And if a Vallux falls, a new one is always selected to replace them. Hewa, Zare, Rogoue and Seta saw no need to destroy one another when the possibility of a new Vallux frightened them. All they'd ever known was each other.

"Seeing this confidence as a weakness was what led Basilius to bind the Valli to a temporary immortality. And as long as that human continued breathe, the Vallux would remain as indestructible as always. However, there was nothing special about the human. They were unprotected by spells or magic or the immortality of their Vallux. And when they died, so did their Vallux.

"After this last decree from our Rex Regis the world fell into peace. Sweet Seta was their first to pass, her sweet companion mauled by a bear awakening from hibernation. The next to go was Zare, whose Guardian died by accident, swimming in a river which Zare iced over, not knowing his Guardian swam below. Hewa and Rogoue were the last to go, their Guardians as stubborn as they. But in the end, all of the original Valli fell and were replaced by humans selected by the Rex Regi, and the cycle has continued on until about 100 years ago, when Aldabella became the winter Vallux."

"Aldabella is a Vallux?" Rosalie gasped.

"Yes," Bella sighed, her head dropping. "She is a Vallux, the most ruthless of all the Valli, even the original Winter King, Rogoue himself. She is the reason the world has been cold, each year growing colder and colder. She destroyed Spring and Summer. At least, she had until today." Bella said this last remark with a bite in her voice, raising her hand to gaze at its golden glow.

"But, we still have Spring and Winter," Jasper blurted. "Carlisle, how can Aldabella have destroyed two of the seasons and yet we still see them come every year?"

"We have reached the end of my knowledge," Carlise said, watching Bella survey her increasingly glowing skin. "My knowledge extends as far as the origins of the Vallux. How Aldabella came to be for 100 years is a mystery I have yet to solve. A mystery I believe our Bella can solve."

Bella sighed. "It's not a pretty story. Not at all. It's the ultimate crime a Vallux, what Aldabella did.

"Aldabella became a Vallux in 1893. Thomas, the fall Vallux, had reached the end of his 3 month claim to the crown. The Winter Vallux before Aldabella had died, his companion dying in childbirth the previous year. Basilius choose Aldabella, who was attending school in England at the time, to become the next Winter Vallux. I'm not sure what events transpired between her departure from school and her arrival in the home country of Italy. But I know by then her mind had fully processed the history of all the Valli before her and she knew she was meeting Basilius for her Binding. They met at a small, out of the way town on the outskirts of Rome, where he introduced her to Benjamin Markley, her Guardian. There they were bound and Aldabella became a fully-fledged Vallux.

"Aldabella was compliant at first, accepting her 9 months of indolence with grace and relishing in the freedom of her 3 months of power. However, after several years she began to notice the effects of aging on Markley's face, saw the grey hair beginning to appear in his hair. She began to panic, feeling she was too young and beautiful to be killed by the mortality of a weak human. In her panic she began to plan her permanent immortality. Knowing she was too weak to overcome Basilius's powers and remove her bond with Markley she began to realize to create her own immortality she must create the same gift for Markley. She would make him immortal, thus ensuring they both would never die. Searching for the knowledge needed to obtain such a goal Aldabella began to use meditation to search through the thoughts and history of the Valli that came before her. And so, several months later, she created a plan. Not only would she be able to ensure Markley's immortality, but she would also be able to ensure a constant rein of Winter. When it was Aldabella's turn to rule the earth for her 3 months she made a deal with Thomas, the fall Vallux at the time. In exchange for his services, she made a deal to split the year into two halves, one for each of them to rule. All he had to do was help her convince the Summer Vallux that the Spring Vallux, Shada, needed to be replaced.

"Between the two of them, Thomas and Aldabella made up a fantastic lie, a lie which led Adalbert, the Summer Vallux, to agree with the two Valli. With the three seasons against her, Shada was deemed unfit to be the Vallux of Spring and they destroyed her. I can still hear her screams in my head…"

Bella shook her head for a moment, a golden tear falling down her cheek for a moment before she firmly wiped it away and continued.

"Immediately following the 'removal' of Shada, Aldabella and Thomas began their attack on Adalbert. With his alliance, Shada, gone Adalbert was weakened and overcome easily by Thomas and Aldabella. He was locked away in a cage of ice. He was quickly overwhelmed by pain, unconscious for Aldabella's next unspeakable act.

"Even Thomas had not been aware of what Aldabella was planning to do next. After watching her only threat, Adalbert, succumb to the slumber of ice, she turned again to Shada's body. Before Thomas could react Aldabella produced a knife and goblet of ice from the air, slit Shada's cold throat and collected a full goblet of her blood. Thomas was immediately outraged but with Summer and Spring defeated Aldabella's strength was growing and she easily overcame him. Aldabella summoned Markley. When Markley appeared Aldabella dipped her finger into the goblet, stirring the blood with her finger, filling it with Winter. Aldabella handed the goblet to Markley, who downed the contents of the entire goblet. He handed the goblet back to Aldabella and shortly fell to the ground in pain. When he finally arose again three days later he was immortal, and he was the first vampire."

"The first vampire?" Emmett growled, snapping his teeth. "You're trying to tell us that vampire's were created by Markley?"

"Vampire's were created by the blood of an immortal infused with the power of Winter. Markley was the first. When Aldabella wished to have an army to worship her, she set Markley out to change humans into vampires. They were all as equal to Markley in many ways, beautiful and terrible, but none as powerful as he who had been created by Aldabella. However one vampire sought to claim Markley's throne over them and attempted to kill him. He very nearly succeeded, which frightened Aldabella. Fearing for Markley's safety, she created three new vampires with the remnants of Shada's blood. You know these men as the Volturi. She set them in a position of power in her home country, Italy, where they were to rule over the vampire's as they saw fit. They kept the world of vampires in control and Markley was able to remain at her side in the safety of her shadow.

"But in her confidence she forgot Adalbert. She believed him to be safely locked away. Adalbert knew the best hope of defeating Aldabella was to fight ice with fire. However, instead of sacrificing another to seek his goal he sacrificed himself instead, setting in motion a spell which transferred his life force into his Guardian. With Adalbert's passing his Guardian was set free of his bindings to the Valli, however his body was filled with the powers of the sun. He, Chale, became the first werewolf. But unlike the vampire's, who were created by greed and are constantly frozen in time, the werewolves were created by a desire to protect humans, and so age as though they are. The werewolves, however, are controlled by their emotions just as Adalbert had been. Their transformations are triggered by powerful emotions, as you all know."

I nodded, my mouth open in amazement. "So, how did the werewolves spread? Did Chale run around and bite people at Adalbert's orders as well?"

Bella shook her head. "No. Adalbert's gift of protection was not only for Chale, but for several other people of Chale's clan, the Quileute's. Two of his fellow council members were given the gift of Adalbert on separate nights and were told this same story by Chale. Over the years these three original werewolves had families with babies, which then turned in to pups. My friend, Jacob, is a direct descendant of Chale's. He told me a story very similar to the one I've told you, but over the years of story telling the details have changed some."

"So Bella," Alice jumped in. "If you're a Vallux, who's your Guardian?"

"I am to know him when I see him," Bella said softly. "It is to be an instant bond, created at first sight. In the past it has been people the Vallux knew before they were Changed, but there have been a few times where a Vallux has met their Guardian _after_ they are Changed."

"There's just one thing," Rosalie huffed as she crossed her arms, "that I'm just not buying. We were taught in school that vampires have been around for centuries. But you're saying they've only been around for a little over a hundred. How is that supposed to make any sense?"

"There have been stories about people rising from the dead and feeding on the living for years," Bella said. "They're all called different things. Every 'mythical' creature has, at some point, been accused of killing humans. Werewolves, zombies, vampires. They are spurred from human fears of things from their past coming back to haunt them. I supposed when Aldabella changed Markley she gave him the title of "Vampire" to fit a creature humans had already created. If you notice, Vampires are given a very different appearance and characteristics today than they had centuries ago."

"So, you're trying to tell me that vampires were created by the blood of an immortal chick, who was killed by another immortal chick, who killed the other immortal chick because she didn't want to die because her boyfriend was a human?" asked Emmett. "Talk about messed up."

Alice frowned and walked from the room, patting Jasper softly on the shoulder as she walked out. He stared after her for a second, a look of concern on his face, and then turned to look back at Bella.

"You didn't answer a question earlier. Why is it that we still experience Summer and Spring if the Valli who control them are dead?"

Bella frowned. "Aldabella is not willing to give up her control of the seasons. She does not want to risk Basilius finding out about her treachery. So she backs off of her cooling of the earth for a couple of months every year and allows the earth to slowly reheat itself. It is never a true Summer as can be brought by the Summer Vallux, but it has been enough in the past to fool Basilius.

"She's begun to slip up recently, letting Winter hang on a little longer than usual, causing cooler Summers. And Basilius began to take notice. When he went to check on the Valli he became suspicious. When he discovered Aldabella's treachery Basilius was horrified. But Basilius is not allowed to destroy a Vallux. He's only allowed to shepherd and balance them. So he has created a Summer Vallux is hopes they will be strong enough to destroy Aldabella."

"And that's why you're glowing," I stated, my eyes wide. "You're Summer."

Bella nodded. "I am. But I cannot truly be Summer until Winter is destroyed. After I beat Aldabella I will be a full Vallux. Until then, my fate lies in the balance. Basilius risked a lot creating me. Summer and Spring had been mutilated in Aldabella's only reason he was able to create me was the werewolves. They are the last link to Summer. They bind me to the earth. Without them, all hope would have been lost. But because of them, I exist. And now it's my job to kill Aldabella."

We all sat there, still as stone as Bella's last statement hung in the air until Emmett broke the silence.

"Well, you're not going to have to go up against her alone," Emmett said, moving to stand behind Bella and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to help you."

Bella shook her head. "You can't, Emmett. Only a Vallux can destroy her."

"That's right, Emmett," Rosalie spat from her seat on the couch. "Strong Bella is going to save the world now. Imagine, a human as the savior of the vampires?"

"Bella _is_ going to need some help," Carlisle said from his spot in the corner of the room. "She is not a full Vallux yet and is Guardian-less. She is still vulnerable. Our first task should be to locate her Guardian and make sure they're safe. We can provide that protection. Then, she'll need our help getting to Aldabella when the time is right."

" There's one problem," I pointed out to the group. "You need a majority to kill a Vallux. How will you be able to get rid of Aldabella if Thomas is still on her side?"

"Thomas will go first," Bella said, her voice hard and unforgiving.

"But how?" I asked. "There's no way Aldabella would side with you. She'll take one look at a Summer Vallux and won't even talk to you about destroying Fall."

"She doesn't have to verbally say it," Bella said. "And she certainly doesn't have to admit it to me, or anyone else for that matter. She merely has to have the _desire_ for Fall to be dead."

"So we just have to convince her to hate Fall and want him dead?" Emmett asked, rubbing his knuckles.

Bella shook her head. "No. She's already decided to kill Fall. She's decided years ago she wants him dead. She's just waiting to the most convenient time to kill him, which hasn't happened yet. But once that happens, she'll try to kill him."

"When will that be?" Esme asked.

Bella turned to look out the window at Alice, who was standing on the porch, staring into the forest. Bella heaved a deep sigh, and then turned back to our group.

"He's her sword in the destruction of werewolves. She knows they are the link to Summer, and that through them I could be created. After they are destroyed, she will kill Thomas and become the only Vallux. And she'll send her ice into the world and destroy everything in her path."

"So," Jasper said, massaging his temples with fingertips, "let me get this straight. We need to kill Thomas in order to kill Aldabella. But we need her to want him dead too. So we have to kill all the werewolves. But if all the werewolves are dead you'll die and Aldabella will be queen of the world."

Bella nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"Fantastic."

"I'm sure we can figure something out if we think," Carlisle said.

"Carlisle? Bella?" Alice called from the porch. "We have company."

Everyone stood immediately and made for the door. Bella fumbled to her feet, still weak from the transformation. I hauled her to her feet and wrapped her arm over my shoulder then helped carry her to the porch. She looked down at her feet, a look of frustration on her face.

"I should be stronger than this," she mumbled under her breath. "A Vallux is indestructible."

"But you're not a full Vallux," I pointed out. "It's something that's going to take your body some time to get used to."

"Well it'd better hurry up," Bella grumbled, "because I don't have much time left to be weak. I have plots to formulate and evil Valli to kill."

I laughed for probably the first time in days. "I'm sure you'll be ready by then."

"I hope so, because Aldabella isn't going to wait until I'm strong before she tries to destroy the world. In fact, the instant she finds out I exist her and Thomas will try to kill me."

I tightened my hold on her waist. "I'm not going to let that happen."

_I think at that time was when the resentment began to form for whoever her Guardian would be. Who could protect her better than me? I was faster than most vampires and I could hear their thoughts before they even realized they were thinking them. If I'd known then who here Guardian would be I probably would have put myself in a trance again and had a long conversation with Basilius as to his selection for my Bella. But now…now I've come to accept him for what he is. He's the reason the love of my life lives…and also the reason she can never fully be mine._


End file.
